Running through Fire
by paniclambert
Summary: very different version of Witchlight,takes place after the car accident at the school, pretty much everything from chapter 11 on is different. Bad description, hopefully good story
1. Chapter 1

Keller walked stealthily through the halls. Her senses were alert and attuned to every smell, sound, and movement around her. She had a feeling about this place. Something was wrong here. Not dangerous, but wrong. Of course, there was a strong possibility that it might just have been her truly fowl mood, clouding her judgment.

She couldn't believe that she had to go to this ridiculous school while Iliana stayed home, playing patient in her oversized and comfy bed. Keller had fought hard to not be the one to be condemned to stalk the halls of the school while Iliana stayed home sick, but her attempts had been unsuccessful.

"_You have to", Iliana had pleaded with them, the night before. "If there really is something dangerous out there I want my friends at school to be safe." _

"_Trust me," Keller had reassured her in a strained voice, "If they are trying to hurt anyone it's you, and while you're safe here, they don't care about your friends."_

"_Well, maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea," Galen had put in. Of course he would side with his destiny. He was still holding Iliana when they had the discussion._

_Winnie had also decided to side with Iliana. "It would probably be beneficial for us to have someone there, just in case something happens," she had added._

"_Well then I'll go," Nissa had offered. _

_Most of the group was seeming to agree when Iliana decided to raise her voice ruin it. _

"_I think that it would be weird to have someone that I hadn't even introduced as a relative of mine to go to school while I wasn't there," she had said in a small voice. "It wouldn't make sense to them."_

"_So who do you suggest we send?" Keller asked her sarcastically._

"_Well you," Iliana had replied._

So there she was, guarding a school that wasn't even in one iota of danger. She had tried to fit in at first, answering some questions about herself, and lying of course, in the beginning of the day, and then attending the first to classes diligently, even pretending to copy down the notes. Then, around the third class, she decided it really wasn't worth the effort, and just walked around instead. Whatever "danger" was there, it wouldn't be bothering with classes either.

All because of Iliana, she thought angrily. Keller's resentment towards Iliana had been growing recently. Mostly it was because of her silly little flirting episodes with Galen that seemed to be happening constantly. Ever since the day of the accident the two had been inseparable and unbearable. They wouldn't really discuss their feeling for each other, but would instead share "secret" smiles and little laughs the whole day, while Keller and the others were forced to watch on, waiting for the moment when the two finally expressed their attraction, and the fear that the alliance between the shape-shifters and the witches might possibly not occur would be quenched. Part of Keller was relived that Iliana finally seemed to be okay, even looking forward to the whole promise ceremony thing, but another part of her…

No, she told herself. She would not think about things like that. She had to keep them out of her mind at all times. She would not think about it, about him.

Stewing, Keller began to walk down the hall at a faster pace, trying to distance herself from all of her idiotic thoughts.

She didn't care. Nothing and no one, not Galen or anyone else, and especially not that gnawing feeling in her gut could make her believe that she cared for Galen. It was foolish to have even been in the same room with him if she could not control her actions. She knew that now. She had slipped up, and she thoroughly regretted it, but it would never happen again.

Keller came to the stairwell in a huff, and pushed the door so forcefully that it whacked against the cement wall, sending echoes throughout the dimly lit, cavernous room. She climbed lithely up a long flight of stairs to the other door at the top of the staircase. She reached for the cold metal handle, only to find that it wouldn't budge. The door was locked or possibly jammed.

A shiver ran down Keller's spine as a frightful thought crossed her mind. What if it was a trap? What if someone in the school knew exactly who she was planning to eliminate her as a possible threat?

"Don't be ridiculous," she said aloud to herself, relaxing her tense muscles slightly. She knew she was being paranoid, but she also knew from past experience that it was better to be on the safe side than the dead side.

She cautiously walked back down the stairs again, thoroughly taking in all of her surroundings so as to be ready for any possible attack. When she reached the door at the bottom of the staircase, she glanced behind her once, and then swiftly grabbed the handle.

It wouldn't budge either.

"Damn," Keller cursed aloud. She was stuck in the stairwell until someone happened to walk by and see her. Or maybe she could yell, and someone would hear her in a nearby classroom. But that was a hassle.

Suddenly she realized that she knew exactly what she needed to do. It was so simple, as long as no one interrupted or came in unexpectedly. If she could just change shape shift into her panther self for a moment or two, she could use her conveniently sharp claws to jimmy the lock a bit, or even push the door open by throwing herself at it. It had worked before.

She readied herself for the change, feeling the wave or release wash over her.

She had only just begun to transform when she heard the door open at the top of the staircase.


	2. Chapter 2

As quickly as she could she reversed the change, reverting back to her human form. When she was sure that her physical appearance would not give any indication as to what she had almost become, she ran up the stairs.

"Don't close the – "

The sound of the door shutting cut her off. The boy turned to her, looking startled. Then understanding crossed his face and he desperately grabbed at the handle. He shook it a few times, but quickly gave up. He stood there motionless for a moment and then turned back to Keller, looking angry.

Well that's unfair, Keller thought to herself. It's not my fault you weren't fast enough.

She walked toward him, trying to make out his face in the dim lighting. As she got closer she recognized who it was.

It was that Brett kid, the one who was so fond of Iliana. He was the one that they had had that disgusting encounter with earlier, when he and Iliana flirted ceaselessly in their ever so innocent and _adorable_ way. It was sickening to even think about the way they had acted around each other. All of Iliana's silly little references to the "romantic" ballroom and her being Scarlet O'Hara made Keller want to puke. And the way that Brett just ate it up and even contributed with his comment about being "Brett Butler" just made him a ham.

How perfect they would be together, Keller thought caustically, if it weren't for the fact that she's already practically engaged.

As Keller walked towards him, Brett remained very still. A strange look was plastered on his face. It was a combination of anger, annoyance, and something like confusion. His eyebrows were raised in a way that suggested he was pondering something very deeply.

He is handsome, Keller thought absently. Overly clean cut perhaps, most likely the result of expensive haircuts and pricey designer clothes. But there was something about him today. His classic good looks which seemed almost too perfect to be attractive to Keller at first glance appeared to be different now. Those deep blue eyes were wild and sharp, and looking at him was almost unnerving. Maybe it was the lighting.

Brett caught Keller's eye and raised his eyebrows, acknowledging that he was aware she had been staring at him. Keller internally snorted, realizing that he was probably used to this happening. Instead of blushing furiously and giggling as most girls would have, Keller cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, donning the look of a born predator. It was frightening to humans, and usually sent them running, or at least walking away at a very fast pace. Brett did not run or walk away however, or even attempt to cower in a corner. He stood his ground, his face becoming cool and impassive.

"So, I'm going to assume that the other door is locked too," he said dryly.

Keller nodded. "I've tried both already, no use," she responded.

"Ah," Brett said simply. He looked around, his expression becoming amused. "So, how long have you been stuck in here?" he asked amicably.

Keller walked down a few steps and then took a seat on the cold stone and rested her head against the metal railing. Might as well get comfortable, she told herself.

"Five or ten minutes, not that long," she said, not quite as pleasantly as Brett.

Brett gave her a thumbs-up in response. He then walked down the stairs and seated himself on the step above her.

"So you're Blondie's friend right?" he asked, "The one who came from…somewhere far away?"

"Cousin," Keller clarified. "I'm her very distant cousin. And it was California," she added with a small smile.

"Well that's nice, Iliana's a special person," Brett said cheerfully, with a glint in his eye. Although he sounded perfectly genuine when he said "special", Keller could swear she heard something behind the cheeriness, something like a hint of slyness.

Keller made a small sound in agreement, knowing that if she spoke it would come out dripping with sarcasm and bitterness, and she didn't need Brett knowing how she really felt about precious Iliana. She could only imagine what someone from this school would do if she voiced her personal opinion about their princess.

"Is it nice there?" Brett asked, not sounding all that interested. Keller realized that he was trying to make small talk.

"Uh, it's really hot," she began, fumbling for a description. She tried desperately to remember something about California that would make it sound like she had actually even been there. "You see a lot of movie stars," she put in lightly.

"Oh, like who?" he asked.

Damn, Keller thought, what was the last movie I saw? It had been such a long time since she had seen one, Circle Daybreak usually kept her busy. But she had seen one about two months ago. Now who was in it?

"Johnny Depp!" She exclaimed a bit too loudly. She quickly realized that she probably should have been more blasé about saying it, being from "Hollywood" and all, but she was just exited that she had even remembered it.

"Cool," Brett responded, laughing a little at her outburst. "He's pretty good."

After his laughter died out, Brett didn't ask any more questions. Maybe he's waiting for me to ask them, Keller thought to herself. That could be what's expected in these situations.

She did not ask him any however, and a silence began to stretch between them. It was uncomfortable to sit in silence with another person in such a confined space, Keller thought. She wished that Brett would fall asleep or something and she could change quickly and get them out of the stairwell and away from this discomfort, but somehow she was quite sure that her desire would not be fulfilled.

A voice in the distance brought Keller out of her reverie. She looked at Brett, and could tell that he had said something.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"I said, I've never met anyone named Keller before," he repeated, sounding annoyed.

"Its not my real name," Keller muttered. If only he could have thought of something else to say. She knew the routine. Once she made it known that Keller was not her actual name, the next question to follow was always –

"So what is your real name?" Brett inquired, sounding both intrigued and indifferent at once.

Keller knew that if she told him to back off and mind his own business, he would immediately leave her alone. His voice made that apparent. She was just about to take him up on his unspoken offer and tell him to get lost, when she stopped.

For some reason, she felt compelled to tell him, this complete stranger who she was stuck in a stairwell with.

"Raksha," she said quietly.

"Excuse me, could you repeat that?" Brett asked politely.

"Raksha," Keller repeated in a hard voice.

Brett's eyes narrowed slightly. "Demon?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup," Keller murmured turning away. Then a thought struck her, and she turned back to him. "How do you know what it means?" she asked, surprise coloring her voice.

Brett looked uncomfortable for a moment, and shifted on the step where he sat.

"I'm a pretty good student," he offered as his reason after a moment's hesitation.

Keller nodded. Another silence followed for some time, but was again broken by Brett.

"So, what, were your parents like Satanists or something?" he asked wryly.

"I wouldn't know, I was abandoned as an infant," Keller deadpanned. Then she waited for the reaction that always came after she disclosed this piece of information.

But it never came. Brett didn't attempt to fumble for apologies and try to sound sympathetic, or even try to relate to her situation. He just sat there with that strange look on his face again, and made no move to comfort her in any way. Keller found this incredibly refreshing, if a bit unusual.

"Do you know why," he asked finally, his voice strained.

"Why my parents left me?" Keller clarified. Brett nodded.

"Well, my mother at least, wasn't exactly the maternal type," Keller told him bitterly.

"How would you know?" Brett asked forcefully, the strange face still molded to his features. Keller gave him a wary look. She hesitated, wondering why she was still telling him these things, but then continued.

"Her last words to me weren't exactly filled with motherly warmth and affection," she muttered sarcastically.

Brett looked at her skeptically then. "You remember her last words?"

"She put a poem next to me in the box she left me in," Keller said quickly, in a voice she hoped would warn him against asking any more questions. This was getting too personal. She felt her face heat up with anger and resentment, her reaction whenever she thought to long about her mother. Brett needed to watch himself now, he had no idea how much danger he was in.

As if purposefully testing her strength and self control, Brett continued. "And what did the poem say?" he asked, not attempting to mask the curiosity in his voice.

"None of your business," Keller snapped, quickly standing up and walking down the stairs to the bottom of the stairwell, where she then sat on the bottommost stair. It was as though a dam holding back the hurt had been broken when Brett asked that inevitable question, allowing the pain to flood through her. Tears were welling in her eyes now, though she fought them back with all her might. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and hate and betrayal filled every fiber of her being. The words were ringing in her mind, taunting her.

_And you will always be alone._

The voice inside her head was cold and final.

No, I won't let you tell me how my life will be, she told the cold voice in her head with her own heated one. You don't even know me!

_Always alone._

Keller just let it flow through her then. She knew that it would pass eventually, but this part was always the hardest, because she knew that even though the hurt would leave, it would always come back. And this time she didn't have Galen to distract her, or try to reassure her that none of what her mother said was true. Not that it really matters, Keller tried to convince herself. Galen meant nothing to her.

She sat there awhile, trying to pull herself together. The threat of tears went away quickly, as did the shaking. These were just things that happened when she didn't have her guard up and she thought about her mother. Years of learning how to control her emotions were helping her, and she was thankful for them.

She turned when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She saw Brett walking towards her, his eyes fierce. He stopped to sit on the same step where she sat this time.

Neither spoke for a moment. Keller had the wild impulse to kick him, and make him hurt as he had made her hurt. She quickly brushed this impulse aside. It wasn't his fault that he had unearthed those memories and feelings.

When he began to speak, it was in an entirely new voice, devoid of indifference or false cheeriness or morbid curiosity.

"People are scum," he said simply.

Keller was taken aback. She actually had to fight the urge not to gasp. The well liked, attractive, perfectly accepted and exceedingly rich kid was telling her that people were scum? This was new.

"And what makes you say that?" Keller asked, attempting not to too openly convey her shock.

He looked at her intensely. Those eyes, she thought distractedly.

"They never actually like you. They'll use you and pretend that they like you so that they can get what they want, and then they run," he said unemotionally. "You are nothing to them unless they need something, and they may respect you, but no can ever understand you, and they wouldn't want to either," he finished looking down at the floor. His eyes burned so fiercely that Keller was surprised they didn't burn a whole though the concrete.

Keller had to make herself breathe after she realized that she had been holding her breath the entire time Brett was speaking. Her mind reeled, not in the painful way it had before, but in an excited and astonished way.

"I get what you mean," she said softly, partly to herself. She was amazed, truly amazed that a wealthy, socially accepted boy could feel something so deep and profound. Hell, she was surprised he even had feelings at all beneath the perfect and clean cut exterior. And to go from making those fluffy and flirty little comments with Iliana to describing exactly the way Keller felt…was incredible.

"Well, maybe you can buy yourself a private island," she suggested with a small smile, "And cut off all communications with the outside world. Of course you would probably have to learn how to hunt and farm."

At this Brett smiled. It was a small smile, like hers, but it was genuine.

"That, or maybe I could just pretend to be deaf and mute," he suggested, looking as though he was remembering something.

Keller thought she could guess what it was. "_One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest_?" She asked.

"Ya."

"I loved that book."

"So did I."

They looked at each other, and Keller felt something flutter inside her. She told herself that she must have been hungry or something. She hadn't eaten breakfast that morning.

"I am sorry, about your parents," he said gently. His face was confused again, but Keller could tell that his words were true.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, not wanting to open herself up to the emotions that had previously troubled her. Then she added in a softer voice, "It's not really that bad."

"Well, not that I really know you that well," he began with another smile, "But it seems to me that even without your parents you turned out just fine."

To her deep chagrin, Keller felt herself blush. She turned away, mumbling some form of a thank you. She could see in the corner of her eye that Brett was grinning crookedly at her, probably humored by her reaction.

Suddenly the sound of the door opening rang through the stairwell, and Keller and Brett both turned instantaneously.

"Don't close the door!" they shouted in unison.

The girl at the top of the stairwell stared at them in shock, then quickly turned and stopped the door with her army boot clad foot.

Brett stood up slowly, and then turned to offer Keller his hand in a manor befitting a true gentleman. Sweet, Keller thought, but a bit too old fashioned. She shook her head politely and rose swiftly and gracefully on her own. She then climbed up the stairs, leaving Brett to follow behind her.

When they reached the top, Keller gave the girl a nod and was about to walk out the door, when the girl began to speak.

"You were that girl, the one who Iliana said was from like, Hollywood and the one whose father is like, that big producer," she said rapidly in a high pitched voice. Her bob of bright red hair bounced as she spoke.

"Um, ya that's me," Keller said grimacing.

"Which one?" asked a voice behind them. Keller's grimace hardened.

"Oh, hi Brett," the girl giggled nervously. Keller could swear that she batted her eyes at him.

"Hey," Brett greeted her lightly, "Molly right?" the girl giggled again in response. "So, which producer?" Brett asked again, smiling widely at Keller.

"Uh…it would be better if I didn't disclose that information," she said slowly but firmly, "To protect his privacy." Sounds legitimate enough, she thought to herself as she began to walk away. She stopped before walking out the door. "Anyway, I don't drop names," she added, fighting the urge to laugh.

"Well," Brett said as he walked over to her to stand in the doorway across from her, "You're full of surprises Keller." He walked out the door, raising his hand and waving it slightly.

"See you around," he said loudly.

Molly turned to Keller. "Does he mean you or me?" she asked longingly in her squeaky voice.

Keller smiled at her, and then turned to follow Brett.

"We'll see," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

When Keller arrived back at Iliana's house after her disappointingly uneventful and hazardless day, she was greeted by full fledged chaos.

She first heard the tones of mayhem well before she reached the door. There was faint screaming coming from inside, though Keller couldn't decipher the voices. She grimaced as she walked across the neatly arranged stone path. This, she thought, was the kind of thing that she was supposed to have been preventing at the school.

She opened the door cautiously, and peered inside. The mud room was empty, as was the kitchen. Keller followed the voices into the living room.

Winnie and Nissa were facing each other from opposite sides of the Oriental rug that graced the floor. Winnie's face was contorted, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Nissa on the other hand had an icy look that could surely freeze over Aruba. Both were screaming, but stopped as they noticed Keller walk into the room.

"Thank the goddess," Winnie started to say, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"What's going on?" Keller asked firmly. "Has there been an attack, is anyone hurt?" She looked back and forth between Nissa and Winnie, neither of whom looked as though they were too enthused to inform Keller of the present situation.

"Well," Winnie began, adopting a guilty expression. She dug the tip of her shoe into the floor, and crossed her hands behind her back.

Nissa threw her an evil look. "Winnie, in her infinite wisdom, decided to lose our _wild power_ and the _prince_ of the shape-shifters," she said frostily.

Keller could only stare at her for a matter of seconds. That wasn't what she had expected.

And what was with that feeling raging inside making her want to scream, knowing that they were out and alone together?

"How lost?" she questioned. Both Nissa and Winnie looked at her confusedly. She hurried to explain herself. "Did they just disappear, or did they say they were going somewhere and they just haven't come back yet?" she rephrased.

Winnie held up a finger and walked over to a coffee table where a frilly box of tissues was placed decoratively. Keller could never understand why people put so much effort into making such common household things attractive. Once Winnie had blown her nose loudly, she started to speak.

"Iliana and Galen told me that they were going to get lunch at some restaurant in town, and I said that would be fine, expecting that either me or Nissa would be going with them." She took a deep breath and hung her head in shame. "But they said that they wanted to go alone, and that there was nothing to worry about, because town was like, really safe or something." At this Nissa let out an exasperated sigh which earned her a hurt look from Winnie. "So, I…I…let them gooo," Winnie broke off and started to sob.

Keller had no time to offer her any words of comfort, nor did she want to. She turned to Nissa, whose cold look dissolved into one of respect and attention as she regarded Keller.

"Do you know when they said they were coming back?" Keller asked her shortly.

"Around one-thirty, or so Winnie told me," Nissa responded, glancing at Winnie, who had her head buried in a pillow and was emitting muffled cries.

Keller looked at the clock on the top of the mantel. It was now three. Not a good sign. The thought of Galen and Iliana alone together began to simmer in her mind again.

_That's _not what you should be worrying about right now, she reminded herself angrily, trying hard to focus.

"Have you considered going looking for them?" she asked with clenched teeth.

"We did a thorough search of the entire town, not just the center where the restaurant was supposed to be, but everywhere. We didn't leave any part of town unchecked," Nissa assured Keller, not noticing her spontaneous display of irritation.

"So…" Keller began, trying to stay calm, "you're telling me that the two people whose union could bring about the alliance of the witches and the shape-shifters, which could ensure the safety of the world, are missing!?" she finished, her voice reaching a piercing screech.

Incredibly, Nissa, a virtually indestructible vampire, looked almost frightened by Keller at that moment. Her eyes flashed silver, but her stance became resigned and accepting, as if awaiting a punishment. Neither of them spoke for a while.

Keller drew in a deep, painfully patient breath. "Well, ok," she said finally.

Nissa's lips twitched. "Ok?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"It's not really your fault is it?" Keller asked rhetorically. "So, now all we can do is go look again, and you two," she added, looking pointedly at Nissa and Winnie, who wasn't even paying attention at this point, being lost in her own world of sorrow and despair, "had better hope to the goddess that we find them."

As she finished she looked as Nissa, who to Keller's surprise, had broken out into a facial expression that was quite rare for her, a huge grin.

"You know Keller," Nissa said, sounding as though she was trying to contain a laugh, "Sometimes I think that you're really not as tough as you look."

At this Keller cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, giving Nissa her most fearsome predatory expression. It was the one that she had given Brett earlier that day. But while Brett had oddly been immune to it, Nissa's smile faded quickly.

"But then again I could be wrong," she said stoically.

Keller fought the sudden urge to apologize for snubbing Nissa so. It wasn't as though she didn't want Nissa to like her, or think that she was a friend. It was just this feeling that had been with her all her life, that to let her guard down around anyone, even someone who she considered a friend was to show weakness. And weakness was one thing that Keller would not tolerate.

The ringing of the doorbell made all three girls jump. Keller looked at Nissa, who looked at Winnie, who looked back at Keller. Their expressions ranged between wary and relived.

"I'll go answer it," Keller said slowly. Nissa and Winnie nodded, watching her go.

Keller opened the door cautiously, as she did when she first walked in that afternoon. She contemplated what she would say to whoever stood outside. If it was Iliana and Galen, well, she had a few things to say to them, none of them pleasant. Speeches would be administered as soon as they were safe inside the well protected house. If it was either one of them without the other, Keller couldn't even begin to imagine what would come out of her mouth, but she was certain that words such as "death", "pain", "stupid", and "failure" would be sprinkled in generously. If it was anyone else, well, what she would say would depend on who stood behind the door. With a sharp intake of breath, she looked outside.

Brett, in all his clean cut glory, was the one standing on the steps. He smiled wryly at Keller, and then began to grin in full when he noticed her expression.

"Bad time?" he asked, chuckling.

Keller let out the breath that she had been holding, making a whoosh sound. She was almost saddened by the fact that it wasn't Iliana and Galen at the door, laughing and holding hands and looking as though they had walked right out of a cheesy romance flick. At least then she would know that they were alright. Worry began to gnaw at her insides now that the short lived relief she had felt thinking that they would be the ones behind the door was gone.

For the strangest reason though, she was almost glad to see Brett, even though she knew that he had to be looking for Iliana. He was probably wondering why a girl who seemed to be so interested in him just a few short days ago could write him off completely so quickly.

You'll get over it, Keller thought sullenly, feeling a small pang of sympathy for him. It had hurt a bit for her when she was in his place, when she was the one who was forgotten, but she had gotten over the fact that Galen had told her he loved her and then just as quickly dropped her in favor of Iliana. She had even encouraged him to forget her, and it was for the best, for the good of mankind. Literally. Keller had completely, totally, and entirely moved on.

Well, mostly.

"Keller?" Brett prompted, his face concerned. "Are you –"

"Iliana's not here," Keller said sharply, remembering the situation. She gave Brett a quick nod and began to close the door.

Brett stuck his hand out to stop it. "Well, actually it's not really her I need," he told Keller.

For some unexplainable reason, Keller's heart flipped when he said that. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

He picked up on her expression. "Well, I was in the neighborhood," he started to explain, "and, regrettably, my car stopped in the middle of the road. Just down that way," he said, gesturing to the left with his index finger. "So, now I'm stuck," he finished with a shrug, "and I'm sure I'm causing a hell of a traffic jam with my car just sitting there."

"So, you came to Iliana's house because she's a wiz at auto repair?" Keller asked doubtfully.

Brett grinned. "No actually. I came here because I knew where Iliana lived and I thought, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, that she or one of her lovely cousins could lend me some gas," he said slowly, wiggling his eyebrows sarcastically when he said the "lovely cousins" part.

"That's all you need?" Keller asked impatiently, and Brett nodded, his eyes shining in the sunlight. "I guess I can look for it," Keller offered reluctantly.

Brett smiled crookedly at her. "Me, and the people stuck behind my car, thank you," he said dryly.

Keller moved quickly out the door and down the steps, pushing Brett with one hand as she went. They walked over to the garage. Brett made the offer to open the door for Keller, which she shortly declined giving him a withering look, and then proceeded to open the large metal door with one hand. She caught a brief glimpse of Brett's impressed expression before walking inside.

She rummaged around a collection of random knick-knacks, and then searched through the section of power tools and yard supplies in the far corner. Iliana's family had a truly disorganize garage. She finally found the bright red container underneath a mattress that looked as though it hadn't been used in at least ten years. The amount of useless junk that modern families felt so keen on keeping shocked Keller sometimes.

When she had fished the gas container out of its hiding place, she held it up like a trophy. Brett saw her and walked over, taking it in his hands.

"Thanks a lot," he said, starting to walk out of the garage and down the driveway. "My cars just down here," he said gesturing with his head.

Keller followed him, and then noticed where his eyes were fixed.

She had never been one for cars, but when Keller realized where Brett was headed, her jaw dropped in awe. His car, which would be better described as a work of art, was a glossy jet black convertible, with what looked like deep red leather interior. If Keller had ever given a thought to what her dream car would be, this would defiantly be it.

She walked over to it slowly, taking in all of its magnificence. Brett noticed her expression and grinned widely.

"All fixed, I should be out of these people's way in no time," he said brightly. "And not a moment too soon, I think that guy back there just yelled a very detailed death threat at me," he said quietly, faking a worried expression.

Keller simply nodded, still staring at the car.

"You know, I think I owe you for going out of your way to help me in my predicament," Brett said slowly. "I suppose that I could give you a ride as a thank you for your generosity."

Suddenly Keller's mind snapped back to the task at hand. She had no time for joy rides in gorgeous cars, not while the witch child and the prince of the shape-shifters were missing. Though it made her heart heavy to pass up a chance to sit in the vehicle of her dreams, she had an obligation to find them.

"No I don't think so," she said morosely, plucking the gas container out of Brett's hands and starting to make her way back to the house.

"Wait," Brett called, "I think I have to insist." He walked a couple steps closer to her, skillfully avoiding the cars passing his. "I mean, I saw the look you were giving her, and it's _really _a thrill" he said persuasively.

Keller grappled a moment with the temptation, and was about to conquer it and decline, when she realized something. She could look for Galen and Iliana just as well from the inside of a car, and a fast car, which this one undoubtedly was, might actually speed up the process.

"You know what…sure," Keller agreed, surprising herself. She quickly ran back to the garage and placed the gas container in the first open spot she could find, then sprinted back to the car and jumped over the door. She watched excitedly as Brett put the keys in the ignition, and felt exhilarated as she heard the engine roar to life.

Then, as the car began to move and the wind whipped her hair about her face, she couldn't help but to break into a huge smile.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, where to?" Brett asked cheerfully as they made their way down the road.

Keller tilted her head back, absorbing the beautiful rays of sunshine. It was like flying, riding in Brett's car. No, it was like running while she was in her panther form, liberating and exhilarating. She had actually been starting to forget why she had gotten in the car in the first place. What did it matter, when everything was so perfect?

But Brett's question brought her back to reality. There were two people out there who had to be found, and found quickly.

"The center of town," she responded, raising her head to look around. She could tell by the way the houses and trees were whipping by that they were going fast, probably way above the speed limit. After a quick glance at the speedometer, she realized that she probably should have been concerned.

Instead of dwelling on it, she looked over at Brett. He seemed to perfectly fit behind the steering wheel of this flawless automobile. His chestnut hair whipped around in the wind, and his eyes danced. Keller could tell by his expression that he felt the same freedom and thrill that she was feeling as they drove.

He looked over at her, and Keller turned quickly, pretending to have been studying the dashboard. She could see out of the corner of her eye that he had on a twisted grin, so she knew that she must not have looked very convincing.

"So, are you enjoying your stay with Iliana?" Keller heard him ask, over the roar of the wind.

"Uh, ya, it's been fine," She said, hoping that he didn't feel the need to ask too many details about her visit.

He didn't, much to her relief. Small talk didn't seem to be one of his strong points.

"My um, sister spoke to Iliana recently," Brett brought up after some time. "She says that there's someone who she's sort of… serious about now," he mentioned, trying to sound disinterested but failing miserably.

Keller gave him a small sympathetic look, but her voice was hard when she spoke. "She does, they're very serious about each other," she told him, trying to keep any hint of resentment or disappointment out of her voice.

"Hm," Brett responded. "So… what's this guy like?" he asked, unable to stop some of the obvious interest from seeping into his voice.

Keller had to take a breath before she could answer. How could she describe Galen? She tried so hard not to think about him, and when she was with him, she tried her best to ignore him, although now that he and Iliana were practically joined at the hip and didn't seem to notice anyone around them anyway, it wasn't too hard for her to do. Galen had stopped trying to get her attention, a fact that relieved Keller and angered her at the same time.

Brett was still waiting, his eyes attentive. "Is he nice?" He prompted.

Keller let out a breath. "Nice," she said softly, "he's the nicest person I've ever met." There should be a new word for nice, Keller thought truthfully. She looked at Brett, who was still listening carefully. "He's kind to everyone, he puts everyone before himself for the most part," she told him, unable to conceal the wonder in her voice. "He's always positive, sometimes overly idealistic, and he believes the best about people," she stopped short, remembering the time when Galen tried desperately to convince her that what she did for Circle Daybreak she did out of honor and loyalty, not merely because it benefited her. Keller had almost started to believe him, because he looked like he _truly_ believed it himself.

Then, inevitably, she remembered why none of it mattered.

"He and Iliana are perfect for each other," she finished flatly, turning to look out the window.

Brett was silent for a moment. "Well…that's good I guess," he said. His voice was troubled, but not in the heartbroken way that Keller had expected. She just nodded, trying not to betray anymore of her emotions.

"I have to admit," Brett began, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, "you don't sound particularly enthused by their relationship." Keller saw him glance questioningly at her.

"Well, I have to admit, neither did you," she countered teasingly.

Brett gave her a grin that didn't touch his eyes. "Touché," he said dryly.

"I'm sorry about that though," Keller told him, oddly moved to comfort him, "if you got your hopes up about Iliana."

Brett shrugged. "I'll move on," he said nonchalantly. "There are other girls in the world. And anyway," he smiled secretively, as if he were enjoying some private joke, "I really don't have time to date right now."

Keller stared at him incredulously. The rich, popular boy who apparently secretly hated everyone and felt horribly misunderstood, now also didn't date? He was breaking every cliché that Keller had assumed he embodied when she first met him. How could he be so different from that day when he was with Iliana?

Well that one was obvious, Keller realized. He was trying to be sweet and cheerful then, he wanted to be the kind of person that would fit into Iliana's world. That perfect bubble filled with kindness and love. Of course he would be different around Iliana.

"I'm sorry if you got your hopes up about, um…Galen was it?" Brett said, cutting into Keller's mental analysis.

"Ya, Galen," Keller responded coldly. "And no, I never got my hopes up," she added in a monotonous voice.

"Well," Brett began, "just because you never got your hopes up doesn't mean it didn't hurt."

"No, it doesn't," Keller agreed softly, not even bothering to contradict him.

"But really," he continued, "who wants to be with someone who's always positive all the time, someone who _always_ looks for the best in people?" Brett asked, maybe more to himself than to Keller.

Keller answered him anyway. "Uh, about ninety percent of the population," she said bitterly.

"Well, that's just a ridiculous belief," Brett declared, sounding angry. "Sure, there are people, Iliana for example, who are generally good," he explained, his voice rising. "But for some people, you could search years for a speck of good in them and never find it! There are people who just can't _help_ but be evil. And those who always seek the kindness and good in others will just end up being disappointed when they realize that what they seek isn't there and never will be!" Brett finished, looking livid.

An older couple who had been walking on the sidewalk turned to stare at Brett as the car passed by, and after seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Keller realized that he had been yelling the whole time.

Keller was staring at Brett as well, letting his words sink in. A part of her agreed with him, the part that was thinking about her mother, and her last words to Keller. It was easy for Keller to imagine that her mother was simply born cruel and spiteful, that it wasn't Keller's fault that she had been abandoned.

However, another part of her knew that there were reasons for her mother's abandonment, fear probably being one of them. And if she believed that there were some people who couldn't help but to be pitiless and callous, then it was like letting people like Hitler and Rasputin get off with a free pass. It was like saying that it wasn't her mother's fault that she abandoned Keller.

She couldn't give her mother a free pass for that.

"So you really believe that there are people who are inherently evil?" She asked Brett, who had been breathing heavily in the seat beside her, most likely trying to regain control.

"Yes," Brett said in a whisper. He turned to face her, "And you don't?" he challenged.

"No," Keller said strongly. "I don't believe that. I believe that there are people who get misguided, and who become what we would call evil, but I don't believe that they're just born that way," she told him. "I think that there are…factors affecting their decision to do…evil things," she tried to explain. "I know it sounds hokey," she continued, smiling unhappily, "but everyone has a choice."

Brett didn't look at her when she finished. He didn't speak, or gesture in any way to show that he had heard her. Instead, he adopted that strange look that he had had on earlier that day in the stairwell, but this time it was infinitely more intense. Just watching him shook Keller to the core.

"Careful or your face might freeze like that," she joked nervously.

Brett blinked and turned to her as if realizing that she was there for the first time in minutes. He looked away from her quickly though, as if something about her had troubled him.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized after a few seconds, his voice strained.

"Its ok," Keller told him in the most pleasant voice she could muster. A small feeling in her gut was telling her that it would really be in her best interest not to further upset this guy.

Brett raised his eyebrows at her. "So you're used to maniacs speeding down the road and screaming at the top of their lungs?" he asked, half smiling.

"I've seen worse things," Keller responded honestly, relieved that he was smiling again. He seemed to be much calmer now.

"I'm not usually like this," he said uncomfortably. "It's um, a side effect of the medication I started taking."

"Yelling fits can be a side effect?" Keller asked doubtfully.

"Mood swings," Brett corrected.

"Oh," she said in return. She was silent for a minute. "And your hatred for humanity?" she asked dryly.

Brett gave her a sideways glance, "Just something I picked up over the years," he told her.

"I have to say," Keller began, unable to help herself, "you seem so different from when I first met you."

"In the stairwell?" he asked her, sounding surprised. "As I recall I had a bit of a despairing at humanity moment in there as well."

"No not then," Keller said, "that time with Iliana."

Brett looked focused for a moment, as if he were trying to recollect the memory of this meeting.

Glad to know I made an impact, Keller thought sarcastically.

"Oh yes, when I was telling her about the party," Brett said finally. He looked at Keller for confirmation.

She nodded.

"Well, I really wouldn't call that a meeting," he said thoughtfully. "I never really spoke to you," he added.

Yes, you were far too preoccupied flirting with Iliana to notice anyone around you, Keller wanted to say, but she held her tongue. After he had been so honest with her about Iliana, it seemed cruel to throw that particular jibe at him.

"So, it that a good thing?" Brett asked slowly. He looked at Keller quizzically. "That I'm different?"

"Does it matter?" Keller asked him. She knew what her answer would be, but a part of her didn't want to tell him at all. And she could never tell whether or not he cared, he always sounded so indifferent about things.

And a part of her really wanted to know if he did care.

Brett gave her an amused look, but Keller saw the curiosity in his eyes.

"Well I guess not," Brett said in a sigh. "But now I'm going to have to assume the worst," he said with mock sincerity.

Keller eyed him, and he looked back at her. They stared at each other for a minute, their eyes boring into the other ones as if they were trying to uncover their deepest secrets. He should be looking at the road, Keller thought absently. How have we not crashed yet?

She broke it off; turning away and feeling her face get hot. She took a small breath.

What could it hurt to tell him?

"Well, you're a lot more interesting than I thought you would be," she answered honestly. "And a whole lot less corny," she added, still unable to get over the things that he had said that first day. "You seem much more…complex than I had you pegged for," she told him, looking back to see his reaction.

Brett was smiling at her humorously.

"What?" Keller asked defensively, wondering if a bug or something had landed on her face or he just noticed that she had something in her teeth.

"Not once, in that entire description of me did you mention whether or not it was a good thing," he said, still smiling. "Way to be evasive."

"Oh ya, well it is," Keller told him quickly, "In my opinion at least. But I guess if you were asking a dull, cheesy, simple sort of person they might feel differently."

Brett looked at her oddly for a moment, then the amused expression came across his face again.

"Why do I get the feeling that you were thinking of Iliana when you described that person?" he asked, his voice suppressing a laugh and his eyes dancing wickedly.

"I was not," Keller argued. "I don't hate Iliana," she told Brett aggressively. I should love her, Keller thought sarcastically. She could save the world. I should have no hard feelings towards her.

Brett gave her a fake look of fear. He let go of the wheel for a moment to hold his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"Please forgive me," he said mimicking remorse. He looked over at Keller, his joking expression subsiding. "You don't have to like everyone you know," he said simply. "And I never said you hated her, I just said that you thought she was simple, cheesy, and dull," he reminded her.

"No, I don't think she's dull," Keller heard herself starting to say, almost absently. She quickly stopped herself before she could go into the specifics of why she didn't find Iliana dull. "Simple and cheesy, well, maybe," Keller allowed.

"Or maybe she's just happy," Brett countered. He stopped for a moment, looking at Keller slyly. "You know what Keller, I think you just don't like happy people," he told her, sounding oddly pleased.

"That's not true at all," Keller said angrily, thinking of Winnie. She liked Winnie, and Winnie was a very happy go-lucky sort of individual. "I just don't like people who don't have a grip on reality," she informed Brett stonily.

"I don't think so," Brett began again, seemingly unable to let go of his incorrect epiphany. "I think you resent everyone who's happier than you are, and the ones who are_ incredibly_ joyful and think everything is perfect," Brett stopped and raised his eyebrows meaningfully, "well, they don't even stand a chance with you."

Keller said nothing for a moment, feeling her blood boil. Every ounce of her strength was fighting the fire ignited within her, making her want to lash out in whatever way seemed most violent and destructive.

Who was he, this insignificant, pretty boy, _human_, to tell her that she was resentful? How could he even begin to think that he understood her? What possessed him to make that accusation?

What infuriated her the most however, was the possibility that there might have been the slightest amount of truth in his words.

If he knew the danger that he had just thrown himself in, Keller thought angrily. But she could stop herself from hurting this boy. She had to stop herself. She just needed to get away, as fast as possible.

"Stop the car," she said with strained calmness.

"What?" Brett began in a confused voice, "We aren't there yet." He looked over at her and quickly processed her expression. "Oh please," he said smirking, "I'm sorry if I upset you, but really the fact that you're getting so angry just goes to show that I was right," he told her, continuing to drive on.

Keller sat for a moment, taking in deep breaths. The anger was not subsiding. Brett's words buzzed around in her mind.

Usually she was good at controlling her emotions, but for some reason, it was as if her anger had been amplified by some unseen and unexplainable force. She was shaking with fury, unable to calm down. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she did know that every moment she spent with Brett was putting him in more danger.

An impulsive idea struck her, and after grappling with the possible consequences for a brief second, Keller began to open the car door, silently begging for Brett to react the way she was counting on him to.

As if on cue, Brett looked over at her, his eyes widening when he saw the open door and Keller's posture.

"What the hell?" he yelled. He slammed the breaks.

Yes, Keller thought. When the car had reached a non lethal speed, she lunged.

Her panther reflexes kicked in as she hit the ground. The landing was hard and it sent a jolt up her spine, but she ended up on her feet in a crouching position. Being from the cat family had its advantages.

She stood up quickly, gazing up at the trees and allowing her breathing to reach a normal speed again. She could feel the adrenaline flowing through her, pulsing through her body. The world was moving quickly around her, as if she were still in the car. She concentrated on something steady, focused on it, and eventually the world began to slow down. Her breathing became steady again as well.

As she became more stable, she started to feel the remaining rage bottled inside her again. She closed her eyes tightly, willing it to go away. When that didn't work, she looked around for something to hit or throw, and settled on a nearby rock. She picked it up and hurled it. It hit a tree with a loud thud, leaving a dent in the bark. She smiled, satisfied.

Keller looked around then, feeling slightly better after her brief fit. Quintessential suburbia surrounded her. Glancing behind her, she realized that she must have landed in a park. There was a playground not far from where she was standing and a baseball diamond as well.

She wondered then for the first time if perhaps jumping out of the car hadn't been the best idea, seeing as how she was now in the middle of nowhere, with no idea as to how to get to the center of town.

No, it was for his good, Keller convinced herself. If she hadn't jumped out of that car who knows what state Brett would be in right now.

The sound of car wheels skidding loudly made her turn. She looked in the direction of the skid, only to find that Brett had made a dangerous U-turn and was heading back her way.

Keller drew in a sharp breath, hoping that she could control herself now. He was seriously tempting fate by coming back.

Brett stopped his car on the side of the road opposite Keller, his breaks screeching. Keller watched as he climbed out, slamming the door as he went. She could almost feel his anger from across the street, and for some reason, it sent a shiver down her spine.

She stiffened as he confronted her. He didn't even speak, simply stood before her, exuding fury.

When he did start to speak, it was filled with a dark and powerful anger, making Keller cringe.

"What…were…you…thinking?" Brett asked her in a slow, dangerous voice. He stared at Keller, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions that ranged somewhere between disbelief, shock, rage, and concern.

Keller stood her ground. "You wouldn't let me out," she said calmly, trying to keep her voice from shaking in response to the waves of anger that Brett seemed to be directing at her.

"You are insane," Brett told Keller in a hard voice. "Absolutely insane," he said again, shaking his head slowly.

"Brett, you wouldn't let me out," Keller reminded him again, agitation and fear creeping into her voice.

"So you jumped out of a moving car?" Brett asked incredulously. "You could have died!" he screamed, causing a family in their yard several houses down the block to turn in confusion.

"Well, I'm fine, so it's no big deal," Keller tried to convince him. "Thank you for your concern," she nodded and turned to walk away.

His hand caught her shoulder, and it was a though a jolt of electricity was sent through Keller's body. She suddenly felt like she was falling into a dark void. The world began to go black, and she felt like the ground had fallen out from under her. It was frightening, and at the same time, Keller felt completely safe. It felt…exciting…and beautiful. It felt good.

"You could have died," Brett repeated, but it sounded muffled and distant to Keller. She was still in the free falling state, not really sure of how to get back to reality. Brett said something else, but Keller couldn't hear him. Something had changed though, and she could only feel cold darkness now. A vast emptiness seemed to encompass her. She began to shiver uncontrollably.

What was happening to her?

Brett released Keller's shoulder suddenly, and Keller instantly snapped back to the present, feeling like she had been pulled out of the ocean.

She shook her head, then looked in the direction that Brett's eyes were focused.

Walking on the sidewalk not far from where Brett and Keller were standing, wearing matching expressions of happiness and love for all humanity, were Galen and Iliana.

Keller tried to muster up some angry or cold look, but right then she felt incredibly numb. She couldn't even think up a snide or cruel remark to give them as they approached.

She glanced at Brett, who had composed himself. He had on a distant smile, but his eyes were still hard.

Iliana descended on them first. "Hey Brett, hey Keller, what are you guys doing out here?" she greeted them, smiling brightly.

"Hi Iliana," Brett said, not as kindly but in no way unpleasant.

Iliana looked at him confusedly for a moment. "I haven't heard you call me Iliana in forever," she told him, laughing a little.

Brett looked annoyed for a moment, then laughed along with her. "Well, Blondie, I thought I would use it before I forget it completely," he teased.

Sometime during this exchange, Galen had walked up behind Keller.

"I'm sorry that we were late," he whispered in her ear. Keller just nodded, not bothering to unleash her wrath on him and Iliana just yet.

"I need to talk to you when we get back," Galen continued, still whispering. Keller nodded again, more curtly this time.

"And I'm so excited about your party," Keller heard Iliana tell Brett. "I hope you're still fine with me bringing some people," she looked at him with big doe eyes, and Brett smiled mildly at her.

"Fine with me," he said. His eyes drifted to Keller, then to the person behind her. "Are you Galen?" Brett asked cordially.

Galen stepped around Keller to face Brett. "Yes," he responded politely.

"That's nice," Brett said. He turned back to Iliana and began to talk about classes that she was missing, as well as his sister's concern for her health.

Keller however, was watching Galen, whose face had hardened into a look of concern and irritation, and something like disgust. He was staring at Brett, not blinking. Keller had the urge to ask him what could possibly be going through his head.

Instead, she cleared her throat, quickly gaining the attention of Galen, Iliana and Brett.

"Well, I think that we should be getting back to Iliana's house now," she said, looking pointedly at Iliana and Galen. "Anyway Iliana," she said wryly, "Weren't you not feeling well?"

"Oh," Iliana began, looking like she was finally realizing the trouble that she was in, "I felt better today, but we should be getting home anyway," she agreed nervously.

"Please, let me drive you back," Brett offered. "It's a bit of a walk."

"Thank you so much Brett," Iliana gushed, walking over to take Galen's hand.

Galen resisted, causing Iliana to jerk back. He was still focused on Brett, his eyes hard and guarded.

"We'll walk," he said in a final voice.

'Walk?" Brett asked dubiously. He looked at Galen, who was still looking at him, now with outright revulsion. Brett's lips twitched into a cruel smirk. "If you want to," he said, shrugging.

"Well, we walked to the restaurant," Brett said stubbornly. "We can walk back."

"Yes, but when you walked there, you were in broad daylight," Brett began. "If you walk back, the sun will go down, and you'll be walking in the dark," he continued patronizingly. "And in a place like this…" he looked at Galen with mock seriousness. "You can never be too careful."

"Brett," Iliana scolded, sounding upset. She looked at him with hurt and confusion in her eyes. Keller wasn't surprised. His words were a far cry form those he had used a few days before. Her expression suggested that she had never heard him be so sarcastic and bitter.

"Sorry, that was rude," Brett apologized, not sounding the least bit sincere. "I just think that it might not be the wisest idea, but if that's what you want to do…" his drifted off, looking at them skeptically.

"Yes, we do," Galen said quickly. He looked at Keller, awaiting her approval.

You're the prince of the shape-shifters, Keller thought dryly. I'm at your command.

"Let's go," was her only response. She began to walk in the direction of Iliana's house.

"Bye Brett, she heard Iliana say behind her, much less cheerfully than before. She heard Galen mumble a good bye as well.

She stopped and turned back to Brett, allowing Galen and Iliana to pass her.

"Thank you for the ride," she said, "And, uh, sorry I jumped out of your car," she added. She could hear Iliana and Galen's footsteps stop when she said the last part.

Brett regarded her for a moment, his expression troubled, then nodded and turned to walk to his car.

Keller felt her anger drain out of her, though it was quickly replaced by a new, disturbing emotion. She breathed in deeply, trying to rid herself of the confusion that was raging on in her mind. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask Brett, though most of them didn't even make sense to her. She wanted desperately to look into his mind, to understand him. She felt that she could understand him.

Just let it go, Keller told herself forcefully, turning back to where Iliana and Galen were gaping at her on the sidewalk. None of that matters.

But as she was walking away, leaving Galen and Iliana to trail behind her, she caught a glimpse of Brett's expression out of the corner of her eye. It was one of heart wrenching hopelessness.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, for anyone that actually saw the previous chapter five, that might have been slightly odd. I think I must have clicked the wrong one when I was adding it, which shows how truly gifted I am with computers and life in general. So, ya, this is the real one. I hope you like it!**

"Completely, totally, and utterly insane!"

Keller stood tall and dangerous before two squirming teenagers, both desperately wishing that they could be anywhere in the world rather than in Iliana's living room.

"How could you think, what could possibly have been going through your head that would make you assume that it would be alright for you to come back even a second later than the exact time you said you would?" Keller screeched, her voice cracking with the strain that she had been putting on it.

From the moment that she, Galen and Iliana had walked through the door, after a grueling hour of walking in total silence, she had been screaming. For a while it wasn't even intelligible, just a jumble of curses, threats and descriptions of scenarios that could have been their fate. Then, when she was able to collect herself, or at least make a comprehensible sentence, the real anger was able to pour through.

"What I really can't understand is how the prince of the shape-shifters," Keller continued, looking directly at Galen who sat silently and shamefacedly, "could be stupid and reckless enough to forget that he is _very_ valuable, and that if he were to land in the hands of an enemy, it would be absolutely horrendous!"

Keller waited for a beat, expecting some rebuttal from Galen, but instead he glanced again at the clock on the mantle. He had been doing it every so often since the moment that Keller had ushered him and Iliana onto the couch and began screaming. Frankly, it was infuriating.

"And Iliana," Keller went on, ignoring Galen's growing impatient expression, "the witch child and the wild power, who admittedly has not had a lengthy amount of time to get used to the precautions that must be taken, should still be aware that she is in just as much danger as Galen," Keller told Iliana, staring down the silvery haired girl across from her. Iliana cowered into the couch and slowly moved her hand over towards Galen, but didn't take her eyes off Keller.

"Maybe it would be alright if we had found you first, but they know who you are!" Keller reminded her forcefully, making Iliana shudder. "They won't rest until they find you, take you, and destroy any hope that Circle Daybreak might have of saving the human race!" she roared, feeling the heat rise in her face.

"But you know already, I'm _not_ the wild power or the witch child!" Iliana yelled brokenly, raising her voice for the first time since they had returned.

Keller slammed her foot on the ground, causing many an object in the room to shake. "Then they'll kill you once they realize that you can't help them," she bellowed. "They'll kill you without a second thought."

"Please, stop."

Keller whipped her head towards Galen who was standing, facing her.

"We understand Keller," he said quietly. "We've listened, and we understand. I'm sorry, we're both sorry, but telling her this," he gestured towards Iliana, who was whimpering, "isn't doing anything."

Keller breathed raggedly for a moment, and then nodded.

"Fine," she agreed tightly. "But," she continued, her voice livid, "if you think that you're going anywhere until the solstice ceremony, anywhere at all, then you're crazy."

"I think we can live with that," Galen said, squeezing Iliana's hand. He pulled her up, and let her lean against him. Keller felt a pang in her stomach as she watched them.

"So now," Galen started, suddenly anxious, "If you're done, I think that we should be allowed to leave."

He turned to look at Iliana, his troubled face instantly softening. "You may want to go upstairs for a while, rest a bit, it might help you to shake that cold," he murmured sweetly.

Iliana nodded, her eyes glued to Galen's.

Sickening, Keller thought.

"That sounds like a good idea," Iliana said, turning to leave. "I'll see you all later," she added, addressing the room. "And I'm sorry Keller," she apologized meekly.

Galen was the only one who responded. "Bye," he whispered, pulling her back and leaning to kiss her forehead. She smiled warmly at him before turning again to make her way towards the stairs.

Keller listened as her foot steps faded, trying to regulate her breathing for the second time that day. She suddenly felt completely drained of all emotion. She had never felt so much anger in one day. It was exhausting.

She looked behind her, finally noticing Winnie and Nissa standing by the doorway. They wore matching expressions of disapproval.

"What?" Keller asked, concerned.

"You know Boss," Nissa said, her voice quiet and accusing, "You didn't exactly tell us where you were going either."

Keller blanched, but she couldn't bring herself to feel remorseful. She kept her head high and met Nissa's steady gaze.

"I'm sorry," she said emptily. "That was irresponsible of me."

Nissa nodded, and Winnie simply turned to face the wall, crossing her arms. Neither looked pleased by Keller's "irresponsibility."

How do you expect to call yourself their leader if they don't trust you, the voice of reason in Keller's mind questioned.

Keller considered this for a moment, and was about to open her mouth and give them a more sincere apology and some sort of explanation, but was cut off when Galen began to speak.

"Winnie, Nissa, do you think that you could give me and Keller a moment alone?" he asked.

Keller saw Winnie and Nissa give each other odd looks, obviously wondering what Galen could possibly say that they couldn't hear. Keller was wondering the exact same thing.

Galen was not wasting time waiting for them to agree.

"Please," he asked again, sounding distressed.

Nissa nodded then, glancing at Keller before she took Winnie's arm and led her out into the hall. Keller watched them go, confusion overwhelming her already frazzled emotions.

What made it worse was when she looked back at Galen. A rush of new emotions flooded through her, making her want to reach out and take his hands in hers, feel what she felt not so long ago.

"So, what is it?" she asked rigidly, keeping her hands clasped tightly together.

Galen opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. He began to pace around the room, drumming his fingers against his legs. Keller watched him intently, feeling a strange surge of hope. Maybe he was going to tell her that everything that was going on with Iliana was a lie, that he was only doing it because he had to. Maybe he would tell her that he still loved her.

Forget it, Keller told herself. This has gone too far. If you delude yourself any longer it will kill you.

"If all you are going to do is walk around I think I'll leave," Keller said harshly, breaking the silence.

"No wait, please," Galen responded, holding up his hands. "I have something tell you, I'm just…trying to figure out how," he explained.

"I don't have time to wait for you to figure out how to talk, so just spit it out or I'm leaving," Keller threatened, exasperated with Galen and angry with herself.

"Ok," Galen said, closing his eyes tightly. He put his hands on his head and let out a long breath. When he opened his eyes again they were hard and determined.

"You may want to sit down," he advised, gesturing to the couch that he and Iliana had occupied just moments ago. Keller shook her head and raised her eyebrows warningly, indicating that if he didn't continue she would stay true to her promise.

"Well I think I will," Galen told her. He walked over to the couch, taking his former seat. He didn't speak for several moments.

"Galen, I swear if you don't tell me what this is about," Keller began to say, but Galen interrupted her before she could tell him what she would do if he didn't start talking.

"We were at the restaurant," he said quietly, his voice controlled but still troubled. "And I heard something."

"Was it Iliana declaring her undying love for you?" Keller asked sarcastically, unable to help herself.

"Keller I listened to you, probably for much longer than was necessary" Galen reminded her tensely. "It would be nice if you could do me the same courtesy."

"Alright," Keller responded, shocked by his tone. "What did you hear?"

"We were at the restaurant," he began again, "and something just came over me." He stopped, looking up at Keller, his eyes haunted. "It was the strangest feeling, I could just tell that something was wrong. So I went outside, thinking that some air might clear my head and then…I heard them."

"Galen, what did you hear?" Keller asked again through clenched teeth, put on edge by seeing someone as calm as Galen so troubled. It was unnatural.

"They were shape-shifters," Galen continued, ignoring Keller's question yet again. "They were standing in an ally right by the restaurant, they couldn't see me but I could hear them."

"Galen what did they say?" Keller pleaded, suddenly filled with worry.

Galen said nothing for a moment. He stared down at the palms of his hands. His face became blank.

"There's going to be an attack," he said at last.


	6. Chapter 6

"An attack?" Keller asked, flustered.

"An attack," Galen repeated, leaning his head against the back of the couch.

Keller stood silently for a minute, waiting for him to continue, but he seemed to be too busy memorizing the ceiling.

"Could you tell me the location of this attack?" Keller asked impatiently. "Or would you rather just communicate with me telepathically?"

Galen broke his eyes away from the ceiling then, looking at Keller with a pained expression. Keller felt a twinge of regret for using such a hurried tone when he was obviously under enough stress.

"Here," he said in a factual voice. "They're going to attack Iliana's house."

"Here?" she repeated. "They're going to attack _here_?"

Keller knew that she sounded like an idiot, spiting back his very words. She waited for some sort of scornful remark, but instead of mocking her Galen just nodded.

"Well," she began, exhaling loudly, "that changes things."

"What do you mean?" he questioned, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Keller strode across the room to stand directly in front of Galen. She waited for him to reopen his eyes, tapping her foot lightly on the floor. When he did open his eyes again, they widened briefly in surprise.

"Galen, I don't think you have enough faith in our abilities," Keller accused dryly, returning his surprised look with an amused one.

Keller watched as Galen's surprise rapidly turned to shock. "What do you mean?" He asked again forcefully, leaning forward in his seat.

Keller put her hands on her hips and smiled patiently at him. "Galen, we have more wards on this house than we even need. And Winnie is a very powerful witch, Circle Daybreak wouldn't have chosen her for this if she wasn't, so her wards are as strong as they come – "

"That's why you think I'm overreacting?" He asked, cutting her off, "Because we have wards?"

Keller scowled and opened her mouth, about to tell off Galen for interrupting her, but he was already continuing.

"Keller the wards are strong but they are definitely not perfect," he said, staring at her disbelievingly. "They can be broken."

Keller let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms. "Well _yes_ they could be," she agreed patronizingly, "But it would take a witch as skilled as Winnie to break them, and then it would take an enormous force to even have the possibility of overpowering us," she concluded.

Galen said nothing when she was finished, a fact that irritated Keller because she felt that her statement was worthy of immediate agreement, and also because it was slightly frightening to have to wait while Galen looked so troubled and try to figure out what could be going on in his head.

"Well?" She prompted agitatedly, fed up with the prolonged silences.

Galen lowered his eyes and brought his elbows to rest on his knees, intertwining his fingers. "Like one hundred?" he asked quietly.

Keller felt her eyes widen. "One hundred?" she repeated slowly. "Are you telling me that there's going to be an attack of one hundred on Iliana's house?"

Galen nodded, closing his eyes again as if trying to shut out the world around him.

One hundred, Keller thought dazedly, shock surging through her. At most she had imagined forty or fifty, some reasonable number with only two digits. She tried to picture an army of one hundred surrounding Iliana's house, pouring out into the street. That thought alone was disturbing, but then another one crossed her mind.

"One hundred what?" She asked Galen, who was mumbling something under his breath. He looked up at her, his eyes questioning. "One hundred of what?" Keller repeated anxiously.

Understanding crossed Galen's face. "Shape-shifters mostly," he said, "A few vampires and werewolves, and at least one witch," he added.

Keller was quiet for a minute, her mind racing.

"No," she began, not allowing herself to believe what Galen was telling her, "They wouldn't do this, the Night World wouldn't risk this kind of exposure or an all out war, not until they were sure that they had the upper hand," she reasoned, looking to Galen for reassurance.

She searched his eyes desperately, but found no such thing. There was only bitter truth and acceptance, and maybe even a little pity for her denial.

"Keller, this isn't an all out war," he explained emotionlessly. "It's just an attack to them, something to make sure that they _do_ have the upper hand," he told her, his voice breaking when he said the last part. Thinking about Iliana, Keller realized. She was, in this case, the upper hand that the Night World needed.

"As for the exposure," Galen continued, "They don't care anymore, in fact in their minds it's probably time for them to show themselves, to be able to come out in the world without hiding." He stopped again, rubbing his eyes. "Its time for the human race to know about them," he said finally.

At this Keller snapped, anger flooding through her for what seemed to be the millionth time that day.

"How could your parents let this happen?" She yelled, causing Galen to jump slightly. He looked at her, alarmed. "What is the first house doing, just sitting there allowing this to go on?" She asked.

Galen's alarm turned to shame as he gazed at Keller. "I don't know what they're doing, but I know that they won't try to stop this," he said in a low voice. "They won't risk losing more shape-shifters until it's absolutely necessary."

"Not even for their son?" Keller asked incredulously.

Galen shook his head.

Keller's mind reeled. "So we're completely alone," she said, more to herself than to Galen. It was hard to even entertain the _thought_ of taking on an army of one hundred with only a team of three, let alone convince herself that this was to be her fate. She was good, as were Winnie and Nissa, but not even their extensive training had prepared them for an attack like this. There wasn't even the slightest chance of winning. It was impossible.

Keller suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. She stumbled slightly trying to make her way over to the mantel. She rested her hand on the wooden edge, thankful for something to steady her.

Breathe, she reminded herself. It will only make things worse if you pass out on the floor.

But how could she breathe, knowing what they were faced with. A crushing fear began to fill her, knowing that she was virtually powerless against an army of one hundred. If they tried to fight, they would die. Keller was certain of this. But if they didn't try, it would be the worst kind of cowardice.

So try, a reasonable voice in Keller's mind suggested. Get Iliana and Galen somewhere safe, leave Winnie or Nissa with them, and fight. You're expendable.

Keller listened to the voice with sad acceptance. It made sense, the plan that it had formed. And it was very right, she was expendable. She supposed that it made more sense for her to die in battle than anywhere else.

"Galen, do you know when the attack is going to be?" She asked in a hard voice, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

She heard Galen shift in his seat. "Two days from now, maybe three," he told her.

Keller's breath caught. Her legs started to wobble underneath her, and her head throbbed excruciatingly.

A week, she had expected at least a week. Two or three days… that was nothing. A raw pain in her stomach began to gnaw at her as she thought about how close she was to death. The pain was devastating and cold. She felt like someone had ripped out a part of her midriff and stuffed it with ice, and replaced the blood in her veins with liquid nitrogen.

It's alright though, she thought halfheartedly, trying to focus on what needed to be done. As long as you can save Galen and Iliana, nothing else matters.

"Keller, are you ok?" Galen asked quietly. Out of her peripheral vision, Keller saw him get up and start walking over towards her. She stiffened in response.

"I'm fine," she said curtly, turning away from him. Galen stopped, still at least a foot away from her.

"So…," Keller began, trying to slow her thoughts, "either the day before the solstice ceremony, or the day of," she realized, her mind thankfully drifting back into focus. "That's when the attack will happen?"

Galen moved another step toward her. Something in her expression must have made him change his mind though, because he immediately took two steps back. "Yes, or at least that's what I heard," he said gravely.

"Alright," Keller responded. Breathing in as deeply and as steadily as she could, she tried to get her thoughts in order. First, she would have to talk to Winnie and Nissa. She had to explain this to them, at least once she could start believing it herself. They would be level headed about it, Keller was sure of this. She would also have to find a place for Iliana and Galen to hide, somewhere safe where either Winnie or Nissa could protect them. And Iliana's family would just have to be convinced that they needed to go on a long vacation. Winnie could see to that.

This will work, Keller told herself. The people who matter will be safe, they have to be.

Glancing sideways, Keller realized that Galen had begun pacing again, this time more vigorously.

"Galen, are _you_ ok?" She asked reluctantly.

Galen stopped and looked at her. He said nothing, only watched her with anxious eyes. Keller realized that she had never seen him so nervous and uptight before. He was so…not calm.

"Galen," she said again when he didn't respond. Keller watched as his gaze slipped from her to the window, his eyes becoming wistful.

"They're going to destroy the house," he said quietly. "Everything, all of Iliana's possessions, her memories, the place where she grew up will be gone," he continued, his voice fading until it was barely audible.

Keller could only stare at him when he was finished. "That's what this is about?" She asked angrily, "The fact that Iliana won't have her stuff anymore?"

"No," Galen said defensively. Much to Keller's surprise, his eyes were brimming with tears. He stood silent, looking so frightened and miserable that Keller dared not speak. "It's not because of that," Galen whispered, lowering his eyes to the floor. One single tear slid down his cheek.

"Then what?" Keller asked, all thoughts about her own troubles slipping away and replaced by concern for Galen's.

"Keller," Galen said in small voice, wiping away the lone tear with his sleeve, "I heard something else, something that that shape-shifters said in the alley."

"What did they say?" Keller inquired rigidly.

"They were talking about Iliana," Galen told her, running a quivering hand through his hair. "They were talking…about the things that they were going to do to her, if they caught her" he said, his voice shaking as violently as his hand. He looked at Keller. "Torturous, inhuman, monstrous things," he continued brokenly, "And it just, it just –" Galen broke off, and began to inhale deeply.

Keller's heart began to pound violently as she watched him. Inside her was a mixture of hatred for the cruel twist of fate that would cause Galen so much pain, and hatred for herself for caring so much. It was hurting her to see him this way.

Even she couldn't imagine the kind of person who would torture someone as kind and pure as Iliana. She couldn't even bring herself to feel jealous of Galen's obvious attachment or devotion to Iliana, a fact that actually gave her a small bit of comfort, knowing that she hadn't lost all of her compassion.

For Galen to have to listen to those shape-shifters not only talk about Iliana's torture, but to describe it in detail, must have been devastating. Keller couldn't imagine having to listen to someone talk about torturing Winnie, or Nissa, or Galen or –

Keller laughed at herself, surprised at where her mind had gone. For the strangest reason, Brett had popped into her head. Of course she would be unsettled by hearing about his torture, but it wouldn't be necessarily devastating to her.

"Galen," she said in a soft but determined voice, brushing all other thoughts aside, "They will never get to Iliana. I swear on my life, nothing will happen to her."

Galen's head rose from its resting place in his hands. He looked at Keller, his tear filled eyes shining with so much trust and admiration that she felt a tingle go down her spine.

Keller could feel her defenses breaking down as she looked at him. She knew that her hard expression was falling away. All of the feelings that she had been trying to repress were resurfacing again, more quickly and more powerfully than ever before.

It was wrong, she couldn't deny that. It was going against everything that she had sworn to do, everything that Circle Daybreak had ordered her to do. It was giving into weakness, which meant that it was going against one of her strongest beliefs. Of all this she was fully aware, but at that moment she couldn't have cared less.

Galen began to walk towards her, hesitantly. Keller held her breath as he neared her.

Stop, a small voice in her mind urged desperately. Keller, for once, ignored it.

Suddenly Galen was right in front of her. Instead of backing away as she knew she should have, Keller moved a step towards him, feeling a rush as she did so.

If he tells me he loves me, I'll be happy, she thought wildly. I could die happy knowing that he still loved me.

The moment that the thought had crossed her mind, she was unable to drive it away. A part of her, the less willful part at the moment, knew the significance and danger of this realization. It was fighting with the dominant part of her that was embracing the liberation of finally admitting what she felt.

It lost.

She felt the question rise in her throat, threatening to escape, when Galen opened his mouth.

"Thank you," was all he said.

Keller waited with anticipation for him to say something, anything else. As the minutes passed by however, her hopes began to spiral down. She became painfully aware of the ticking of the clock, every tick sending her into a deeper state of dejection.

So I die alone and unloved, Keller thought darkly, feeling her mother's words creeping into her mind. You were right mom, she laughed bitterly.

She didn't even know to whom she was speaking.

"Keller," Galen said, reaching for her. His gentle tone seared her ears, bringing her into an entirely new level of misery. How could he not know?

"I'm fine," she told him for the second time. She had never meant it less.

"No you're not," Galen countered, sounding beyond concerned. "Keller I can tell, something's wrong." He put hand on her shoulder then, sending Keller into a confused, warm state. She had to fight with all of her strength to keep her thoughts from becoming muddled. "Is it the attack?" She heard Galen continue, "Is it the pressure, because I promise, we're all going to help in any way we can," he assured her hurriedly. "Just let me help you," he pleaded, his eyes burning with intensity.

"You can't," Keller said emptily, trying in vain to shake him off.

"If you would just tell me what it is, I think I could," he responded determinedly, tightening his grip.

"Galen, please just stop asking me," she asked, desperation creeping into her voice. "You really don't want to know, and I can handle it on my own," she told him, trying to muster a look that would back up her words.

Galen didn't look like he was buying it at all. "Keller, please," he begged, his voice filled with so much emotion that Keller was sure she could actually feel what he felt just by hearing it. She knew she was breaking down, her last thread of strength and self control unraveling quickly.

"You want to know what's wrong with me?" She demanded loudly, a mixture of emotions coming out in her trembling voice. She ripped Galen's hand off from her shoulder, ignoring his horrified expression. "You want to help me, analyze me, try to understand my tortured soul?" She asked, her voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. "Do you really want to know?" she asked again, her voice nearing a scream.

Galen, who was looking at her as if he was watching a terrible storm unfolding before him, only nodded.

Keller felt the breath leave her. She hadn't been ready to continue. She was expecting that certainly after an outburst like that Galen would have reconsidered wanting to be anywhere near her ever again.

Now that she was about to tell him, she found that she couldn't say it as loud as she had delivered her last few words. It was like her wall of anger and frustration had fallen away, leaving her completely vulnerable.

"Are you in love with Iliana?" She asked quietly, sounding almost childlike.

The silence that answered her was conformation enough. She waited to be filled with anger or devastation, some sort of emotion that would be suitable for this situation. Instead she felt only emptiness.

"Well, that's good," she said monotonously.

"Keller," Galen began, his voice hesitant, "I thought that…you would be happy about it."

So it is true, Keller thought, oddly still too numb to be hurt by actually hearing it from Galen. Maybe her emotions had just been shot for the day. One could only feel so much in twenty-four hours.

"Yes, I'm ecstatic really," she replied, her sarcasm falling flat.

A look of confusion crossed Galen's face. "You told me that this was what needed to happen," he continued, his tone bordering on accusing. "You said that this was a good thing."

"Yes it is," Keller responded, unable to sound as strong as she would have liked. "This is a very good thing," she stopped, letting out a long breath, "I guess I was just surprised, that's all."

"Why would you be surprised?" Galen asked, almost the moment she finished speaking.

Keller gave him a weak exasperated look, hating where this was leading.

"I was just surprised," she began to say slowly, "that it happened so soon." She gave him a nod, as if to signify that the conversation was over.

"So soon after what?" Galen asked, refusing to drop the subject. "After us?"

Keller felt herself tense. The way that he had said "us" was like the word repulsed him.

"Maybe," she said finally through clenched teeth. "It was only a few days ago you know."

Galen stared at her, his mouth half open. "You were the one who said that it meant nothing, that it was a mistake," he said, his voice disbelieving. "How can you blame me for doing exactly what you told me to do? Is it such a crime that I'm actually happy about it now?" He challenged angrily.

"Fine," Keller screeched. Her face was burning, and there was a painful tug behind her eyes. She covered her face with her hands, feeling the shame and rage boil inside her. "I'm sorry that I assumed that maybe you still cared, I'm sorry that maybe I still care, I'm stupid and selfish, and I'm sorry," she spat. "Now just go!" she yelled, pointing a shaking finger towards the door.

Galen turned and walked toward it without another word.

Keller watched him go, letting out a soft, chocked sound as soon as he was out of earshot. Breathing raggedly, she walked backwards until she was up against the wall. She slid down slowly, removing her hands from her face and resting them lightly on the floor beside her. With unseeing eyes she stared at the wall across from her, wondering how her life could possibly have been more disappointing.


	7. Chapter 7

After the episode with Galen, the rest of Keller's day passed by in a blur. She walked around like she was in a daze, doing things as she normally would but not really comprehending them. She had become a third party observer, one who didn't even really care that much about the life she was observing.

She held a brief meeting with Winnie and Nissa to tell them what she had learned from Galen about the attack. She couldn't even really recall their reactions, only that when she was finished they had been gracious enough to suggest that they all just talk about it tomorrow, a gesture which made Keller suspect that they could tell something was wrong with her.

Galen had taken it upon himself to tell Iliana.

After the meeting Keller stopped speaking entirely. For the rest of the day she sat rigidly on the couch in the living room, though she was careful to sit as far away as possible from the spot where Galen had been earlier. She starred out of the window for hours, observing the still and peaceful world. She watched in silence as the sun fell behind the trees, observed as it cast a brilliant golden glow over the earth. It was so breath taking that for a moment Keller actually forgot why she was sitting alone and wanted to shout for everyone to come and see. But almost as soon as it had started it was over, and she was left with a deep sense of loss as darkness fell.

When Iliana's mother began asking for her, Winnie had made up some unoriginal but perfectly believable excuse that she was sick and needed rest. After that no one else asked about her or came to see her. She was left alone, the others in the house perfectly willing to ignore her.

After the sun set and she could no longer see outside she spent her time listening intently to the others bustling about in the neighboring rooms, feeling completely detached from all of it. She felt as though she was millions of miles away, or surrounded by some bubble that separated her from the rest of the house. She had the wild idea that if she screamed, no one would hear her.

It was the worst when dinner came along, and all she could hear was the pleasant chatter coming from the dining room. They talked as though they hadn't a care in the world, Iliana telling stories about their disastrous family vacations, her parents chiming in to relay a private joke or two that had resulted from those vacations, and Galen laughing heartily at all of it. Even Winnie and Nissa participated occasionally, though their words were scarce and usually monosyllabic. It killed Keller to listen to them all, knowing that deep in their hearts they were all probably sick with worry. And yet there they were, laughing and joking and pretending to the point where if Keller didn't know better she could almost believe that they were all really fine.

And she was hiding, unable to pretend.

As hard as she tried, she just couldn't seem to put on a brave face and walk into the other room. The thought of seeing Galen again filled her with dread and humiliation. She actually felt sick when she replayed the scene that had taken place only hours ago in her mind.

When she did replay it however, it didn't make her sad. This confused her. Sadness was one emotion she fully expected. Usually unrequited declarations of love resulted in such feelings. She told herself that the pain just hadn't hit her yet. She knew that it would, and she also knew better than to delude herself into thinking she would be spared, because then when it came it would hit her twice as hard. She had learned from experience that it was always best to expect the worst.

No one came in to say good night to her when they all went up to bed. Keller didn't mind.

That night Keller's fitful dreams were plagued with hurt and fear. Two scenes played over and over again in her subconscious.

The first one was the more painful of the two. In it, a woman whose face was blurred loomed ominously over Keller, who was sitting in a wooden chair in some nondescript room. Keller's subconscious told her that this blurry faced woman was her mother. The woman paced around the room, muttering things that Keller knew were important but just couldn't make out. The only words she caught were "cat", "evil" and "Satan", not necessarily in that order.

In the dream, Keller tried desperately to get her mother to look at her or talk to her directly. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but everything came out muffled and muted. When she finally gave up, she would slump down in the chair, defeated. It was only then that her mother stopped pacing and turned to her again. She stood still as stone for what seemed like forever, causing Keller to shiver under the stare that she could not see.

Suddenly, her mother ran to her and slapped her across the face, screaming things like "abomination" and "disgusting" into Keller's cringing face. As the insults continued the blurred face began to take a more definite shape. It became Galen who then morphed into Iliana, who then became a strange combination of Winnie and Nissa, each of them delivering a fresh caustic affront. Keller found this frightening and heartbreaking at the same time.

Each time Keller woke from this dream, she was drenched in a cold sweat.

And every time, against her better judgment, she allowed herself to fall back asleep.

The second dream baffled Keller at first, but in the end always left her terrified. When it began Keller was standing by the window of Iliana's living room. In the dream, she had the nagging feeling that she needed to find something, only she didn't know what. She strained her eyes to see as far as she could in the darkness, frustrated that she didn't even know what it was she sought.

Then, without fail, a young girl would run past the house, laughing as she went. Concerned, Keller quickly opened the window and slipped out into the night, looking around wildly for the girl. But by the time she made it outside, the girl was already out of sight, though Keller could hear her laughter somewhere in the distance. She considered following the girl, but something told her that her search would be fruitless.

Instead she turned back to the house, and the window she had left open. Only it was shut when she returned. When she attempted to open it, it refused to budge. An overwhelming sense of paranoia would creep into her then, threatening to drive her mad with fear.

But before she could even open her mouth to scream, Keller heard a voice behind her call her name. She turned slowly, the molasses type slow that only happens in dreams and movies, only to see Brett, holding the hand of the young girl. Seeing her close up, Keller immediately recognized the girl as her childhood self, complete with the feline ears and the swinging black tail. She looked at Brett questioningly, waiting for him to explain the situation to her, but he only gave her a sad smile and turned, beckoning with his free hand for her to follow. The young Keller gave the elder a mischievous smile before turning to walk away, hand in hand, with Brett.

Keller followed them in a daze, not really feeling her legs or feet beneath her. They walked for hours, yet somehow never left Iliana's backyard. Eventually, Brett turned to Keller again. It was only then that Keller realized her childhood self was gone. Before she could even wonder where the girl was, Brett put a finger to his lips, indicating that she should be silent, and pointed skywards. Hesitantly, Keller lifted her eyes.

Hanging from the trees by ropes impossibly covered in flames, were Galen and Iliana. Though the fire burned bright on the ropes that held them, they were untouched by it. They swung lightly in the night breeze, the ghosts of smiles remaining on their perfect faces. The sight made Keller's blood curdle.

It was only worsened when she looked back down at Brett. He was entirely engulfed in flame, though, like Galen and Iliana, he did not burn. His eyes narrowed when they met hers, and he reached out his hand. And thought her mind pleaded with her to turn and run, Keller felt compelled to walk towards him. But before she could even take a step she felt a light tap on her shoulder, and when she looked down she saw her childhood self again, looking up at her with dark solemn eyes. "Wake up Keller," she would say in Keller's voice.

And every time Keller woke up on the verge of screaming, terrified that she would open her eyes and see the girl again, looking back at her.

When Keller woke for what seemed to be the hundredth time, and once the fear had subsided and she was breathing almost normally, she finally resolved not to fall asleep again.

Glancing at the clock she realized it really didn't matter all that much anyway. It was three in the morning.

She got up from the couch, peeling herself off of the layer of cold sweat left on its surface. She sat rigidly still for a few minutes, trying to get her heart beating at a normal speed again. The dreams had left it pounding like a hammer against her chest.

When she was satisfied with the pace of that particular organ, she rose shakily from the couch. Rubbing her eyes, which were rapidly adjusting to the darkness, Keller looked around the room. Not like there was really anything to see, in fact, Keller only found night vision truly useful when she needed to find someone, or something.

But really it was the gnawing sense of paranoia that made her stiffly turn her head and do a brief once over of the quiet, motionless room. It was irrational, but she felt like she had to at least _check _to make sure that she was completely alone. She just couldn't shake the feeling that the dream had left her with, that someone was watching her.

Which is a stupid, idiotic idea, Keller kept telling herself. She knew that no one was watching her, and this feeling was just the result of her disturbed mental state, which was the result of a really long day and almost no sleep.

Still, she felt a sense of relief when her quick surveillance of the room informed her that she really was alone.

Unfortunately, the relief didn't last long. Within minutes her eyelids began to flutter, a telltale sign that sleep was on its way again. To fight it off, Keller started walking about the room in quick, tight circles. However, the repetition soon got old and the moment she felt herself yawn widely she decided she needed a more effective means of staying awake.

She wandered into the kitchen, her footsteps barely making the smallest of noises on the tiled floor. She made her way over to the refrigerator, mentally crossing her fingers that there was some sort of caffeinated substance inside.

But before she could even lay a finger on the handle of the ivory plastic door, she heard a slight tap on the window.

Normally, Keller wouldn't have paid even the slightest attention to so small a sound, but her anxiety was compelling her to remain completely alert.

She slid her eyes along the counter tops, slowly, making sure not to make any sudden movements. When her eyes finally reached the window sill she felt her body tense in anticipation. She was ready to turn at a moments notice. She cast her gaze upwards to the dark panes of glass.

And let out a whoosh of breath when she saw that nothing whatsoever was there.

Of course nothing's there, she told herself angrily. I'm just losing my mind. That's what being in this house, being on this mission is doing to me. It's going to kill me _and_ rob me of my sanity.

Keller turned away from the window, trying to keep herself from dwelling on that last thought. She didn't want to feel all the things she had felt today, not again. She just wanted to be numb for a while, one of the reasons why sleep had been so desirable. Of course, for her, not even that could work.

Standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, Keller pondered how she would keep herself awake. Nothing seemed interesting or distracting enough. She needed something that was simple, but would ensure that she didn't have the chance to start reliving the day's events.

Reading was a possibility. In fact, she was surprised she hadn't thought of it before. She could remember numerous nights when she had passed the long hours reading. It was an excellent distraction, not to mention a good escape from reality.

Deciding that reading was the most agreeable option, Keller started for the bookcase on wall opposite her. She stopped though, when something outside the window caught her eye.

Keller knew that it was practically giving into her insanity to look a second time. The first time was ridiculous enough. She had no reason to believe that anything out of the ordinary was outside of Iliana's window. And she certainly didn't have any justification for being so uneasy. She had no right to be leading the team, or have any part in this operation for that matter, if something as simple as a nightmare and a tap on the window could send her over the edge.

But if she just did a quick check, what could it hurt?

Keller's breath quickened as she turned again, towards the glass. The palms of her clenched hands began to sweat. Her mind was telling her how ridiculous she was being, acting as if there was actually something outside, but her gut was telling her to proceed with the utmost caution.

She looked outside, and gasped upon seeing that something was there, then let out a whispered curse when she realized what it was.

A gray wolf, of medium height and looking like it hadn't eaten in days, sat in the middle of Iliana's backyard. The grass intertwined with its shaggy fur, making it seem as though it was rooted to the ground. Its posture was not one of self defense or fear, but more of relaxed curiosity. It looked as though it was wary, probably ready to flee at a moments notice, but not afraid. And it was just…sitting there.

Keller's mind was screaming at her to do something. She should change into panther form and chase it away. Maybe she should get Winnie and Nissa up. It could be a shape-shifter, maybe one under the command of the Night World coming to check up on them. No, that wasn't possible. The wards would certainly stop one shape-shifter from getting near the house. Maybe it's just a hallucination, maybe she was still dreaming. She should pinch herself, or go find a shrink and some suitable drugs. Something had to be done though. Her feet began to turn in the direction of the door.

The wolf's eyes were what stopped her feet and silenced her raging thoughts. Not only was the wolf looking in the window, it was staring right at her. Keller felt exposed, like the wolf could see into her soul and somehow beyond it. The eyes, Keller could see were sharp, concentrated, and intensely dark. They bore into Keller's own eyes, steady and unflinching. They were old eyes, knowing eyes. Keller often found that animal eyes had this quality, but these went beyond what she was used to. She felt strangely connected to these eyes, like she had seen them before.

She felt herself turn back to the wolf, so that she was facing it directly. As she did this, the wolf got up and took a hesitant step towards her.

Keller was beyond the point of understanding or even caring what was happening. She could only focus on those eyes. She was so absorbed, so taken by them that nothing else seemed to matter at that moment. And though somehow it made her indescribably sad to look at them, looking also gave her an overwhelming sense of peace and safety. Somehow she didn't feel so alone. It was crazy, but it was real.

Keller crouched by the window so that she was eye level with the wolf. She watched intently as it moved another step towards her, less hesitantly this time. Neither one took their eyes off the other. They were locked together.

"This is insane," Keller heard herself whisper aloud. She was sure that this situation gave an entirely new definition to the word.

Some part of her was still trying to think like a reasonable, normal person. That part was frantically listing off things that she could be doing that would be a much better use of her time than staring out a window at a wolf. But try as it might, that part was gradually fading.

And then it was gone, and Keller found that she was left only with that sad, peaceful feeling.

She felt her eyes get heavy again, but this time she didn't fight it. She leaned up against the wall, resting the side of her head on the glass. She watched the wolf with hooded eyes. She wasn't afraid to fall asleep, not afraid of the pain and fear it might bring. Somehow, with the wolf there, it felt like she was protected. It felt like someone was watching over her.

And as she drifted off, she could swear she heard a voice whispering in her mind, gently telling her to sleep well.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey boss…boss…Keller?"

The muffled voice called out to Keller, pulling her out of the dark haze. She groaned, trying to fight off the inevitable wake up process, but it was no use. Once she was up she was almost immediately alert and attentive, something she had picked up from her years of working for Circle Daybreak. She was already starting to hear things more clearly, like the sound of a bird chirping irritatingly in the distance and the rapid drip of a coffee machine in the kitchen. She was also starting to process things like the fact that, as it was morning, she really needed to discuss specifics about the attack with Winnie and Nissa, and that for some reason she was terribly sore.

Someone chuckled softly above her. "Is it just a feline thing, or do you have a deep attachment to sleeping on the ground?" Keller heard Nissa ask in a subtle mocking tone.  
What the…?

Keller cracked one eye open and glanced around her. Sure enough, she was laying in a heap on the hard wooden floor, the crook of her arm cradling her head. A patch of warm sunlight streamed in through the window next to her. The soreness suddenly made perfect sense.

The reason why she was on the floor wasn't quite so clear.

Keller opened both eyes then, and looked up at Nissa, who was smiling down at her wanly.

"Morning," she greeted.

Keller groaned in response and hoisted herself up, feeling her arms crack as she extended them. Her entire body ached.

She was less concerned with the pain however; being more occupied wondering how she had ended up on the floor. She remembered the couch being comfortable enough, at least nothing to complain about. She remembered going to sleep on the couch and being pretty resolute about staying there the entire night. What was she missing?

Keller's mind searched fiercely to find to find an explanation. Not because it was that big of a deal, she was well aware of that. No, it wasn't the fact itself. It was the fact that she had forgotten about it. It made Keller feel lost and uncertain, she prided herself on being rather vigilant and in control, and if she was forgetting entire parts of her night than she no longer had that control. That was unacceptable.

"Hey boss, if you don't mind me saying, you look a bit disheveled," Nissa commented, breaking into Keller's reverie. "Would you like a brush?"

"What?" Keller asked distractedly, having only comprehended a small portion of what Nissa had just said.

Nissa raised one narrow eyebrow. "A brush for your hair….because it's slightly disorderly this morning?" She repeated.

Keller snorted and gave Nissa a fake glare, but she was actually rather thankful for the small distraction. It pulled her back slightly from the edge of the plank that was hovering precariously over the deep end. So what if she couldn't remember the circumstances leading up to her decision to carry out the remainder of her night on the floor? There were things at stake that were far more important that she needed to devote her full attention to. As the leader of the team she had an obligation to put any other troubles aside and focus on the task at hand.

Anyway, she could have just been in an unusually deep sleep. After the emotional deluge she had endured yesterday she had every right to an extremely deep and mind numbing slumber. What was so hard to believe about that?

Trying to hold to that mentality, Keller turned away from Nissa to examine her reflection in the glass. She usually didn't pay too much attention to her hair, she merely accepted that it was a mess and that there was nothing she could do about it. When someone else pointed it out though, especially someone as respectful and uncritical as Nissa, there was a good chance that there was something to worry about.

However, when her eyes connected with the glittering panes of glass all thoughts of her hair, and everything else for that matter, disappeared.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back with such force that it left her feeling winded. Her eyes involuntarily widened as images flashed before them. She glimpsed the two dreams and recalled the pain and confusion that they had left her with. She remembered getting up and going into the kitchen, and then hearing the tapping on the window. She remembered walking back into the living room, feeling an overwhelming sense of paranoia. Then, as the last image ran across her expanded eyes Keller felt a small shiver travel up her spine.

Keller felt a small tap on her shoulder and turned violently, half expecting to see the mangy wolf staring back at her.

Instead, Nissa stood before her. Her lips formed a hard, thin line of concern.

"Are you alright Boss?" She asked warily.

Keller exhaled and shook her head slightly before she stood up straight.

"Absolutely fine," She announced shakily.

Nissa's face softened slightly, but her eyes remained uneasy. She nodded in acceptance. She knew that she was in no position to challenge Keller, even though Keller felt more and more like she was giving her reason to.

Keller tried to find something to say that might assuage Nissa's suspicions, or at least get them as far away from the topic of her progressing insanity as possible.

As if a light switched on over her head, she thought of the coffee machine sputtering in the kitchen. She made a show of sniffing the air and smiling in interest.

"Is that coffee I smell?" She asked Nissa rhetorically, leaving the vampire to watch her as she made her way into the adjacent room.

A few seconds later she heard Nissa walk in, and moments after she cringed as a chair shifted across the floor, making a slow, grating sound.

"Do you want any?" Keller asked in an overly merry voice, not bothering to turn around. Her eyes were busy locating the sugar that seemed to be determined to stay hidden. Or maybe Iliana's family didn't need it. There was only so much sweetness human beings could really take.

"No thank you" Nissa said politely.

Keller shrugged, giving up on the sugar search and pulled out a powder blue mug that shined in the light when she set it down on the counter. At closer look she saw that it had a small, jagged crack running down its side. She was almost surprised. It was the first thing she had seen in the house that was even remotely less than perfect.

"Suit yourself," Keller told her, taking the handle of the coffee pot and smoothly pouring the searing liquid into the mug. The steam rose from the surface and twisted in the air hypnotically. It reminded her of smoke, which then made her think of the attack, which brought her back to what they had to do that day. "But you might want it," She advised.

The faint sounds of movement came from behind Keller, and when she looked sideways Nissa was standing beside her, fishing around in the cabinet for a cup.

"It's going to be a long morning," Keller predicted morosely, walking over to the table to take a seat.

As soon as she was seated and out of Nissa's line of sight she put her head in her hands and tried to use the few seconds that she had to regain her composure, and not have to keep going off of this bravado that Nissa was sure to see through. She let out the smallest breath and tried to clear her mind, first ridding herself of all thoughts of the night before and convincing herself that until she had more time to think about it she would just have to pretend it was all one very elaborate dream. She had to focus on the attack, and preparing for the attack, and nothing could take priority over that. She was not fit to be leader if this was how she handled herself.

Keller removed her hands from her scalp and raised her head. She picked up her mug to take a welcomed, warm sip of reviving coffee.

"Keller?" An anxious voice questioned.

Keller turned in Nissa's direction, maintaining what she hoped was a blank expression.

"Yes?" She asked, pretending to be oblivious.

Nissa looked like she was calculating, trying to choose her words carefully. For a moment Keller wondered what it would be like to have to answer to someone like her, someone who was clearly showing signs of inept leadership, and actually have to put your trust in that person. She suddenly felt a new gratitude towards Nissa, as well as a significant amount of pity for her situation.

"Are you…feeling alright?" Nissa asked cautiously, seeming to have come to the conclusion that this was the best way to phrase the question.

"I'm fine, it was just a headache," Keller assured her, thankful that her tone was no longer nervously high pitched. She felt in control again. She could make Nissa believe her.

"I was just thinking about everything we have to do," Keller told her. It was partially true.

"Yes, I understand," Nissa said with exaggerated patience, "But it seemed like there might have been…more than that."

Irritation flared up in Keller. Nissa seemed dead set against being distracted or sidetracked.

Keller took a long gulp of coffee, trying to delay answering before she had something convincing, but immediately regretted it as hot liquid viciously burned her tongue and throat.

"Damn," She rasped, feeling the lingering effects of the coffee. Her tongue began to feel cottony and she tasted something faintly metallic.

Far from working to her advantage however, the painful experience was, in Nissa's eyes, a blatant act of diversion.

"Did you really think that would work?" She asked, the amusement in her voice mixing with growing impatience.

"Yes, I thought I would severely burn myself so that I would be _unable_ to say anything and then you would stop with the interrogation," Keller said sarcastically. "But alas, my plan has been foiled."

"Just wondering," Nissa responded, giving Keller a satisfied grin. She knew that she was getting to her, it was apparent in her victorious expression.

Keller ducked her head and let her wild hair fall in a wall around her and pretended to be fixing her top, but she could feel Nissa's steady gaze.

Without looking up, Keller began to speak, not even really realizing what she was doing until the words had come out.

"If I tell you, you'll stop bugging me?" She bargained.

"Yes," Nissa agreed. Her voice was triumphant.

"And," Keller pressed, "You won't ask any other follow-up questions right? You'll just listen and move on?"

She didn't need to look up to tell that Nissa was nodding.

You'll regret this, you shouldn't say anything, this is ridiculous and foolish and idiotic, a nagging voice, or maybe it was the voice of reason, warned Keller vigorously.

She shook it out and began to speak.

"I had these dreams last night, and I'm just a little freaked out by them," She mumbled, a large part of her hoping that maybe Nissa wouldn't hear.

Of course Nissa did hear, being a vampire and all, and the words floated over the table between them. Almost mockingly, it seemed to Keller.

She hesitated and rested her fidgeting hands in her lap. She wanted to come up with some excuse to leave, to not have to deal with this right now. Why had she even entertained the idea that it was alright to not only tell Nissa that there was something wrong but what it _was_? Well, not all of it, actually not even half of it. But still, it was exceedingly uncomfortable

As Keller tried to appear engrossed in her fingernails Nissa whispered something that, even to Keller's ears, was barely audible.

"You had…dreams?"

Keller looked up, about to make up something that could get her out of the room, but stopped when she saw Nissa's expression.

Nissa was staring at her with fear and wonderment. Her eyes darted across Keller's face as if she was searching for something, and she blinked multiple times like someone who doubted their ability to see clearly.

Keller grew even more uncomfortable under this new stare. She shifted in her seat and halfheartedly coughed, but these little hints went unnoticed by Nissa.

Maybe I'm not the only one losing my mind, Keller thought to herself. The idea didn't comfort her all that much.

"What Nissa?" Keller asked harshly after kicking the table and loudly setting her cup down, which turned out not to be the best idea because the coffee splashed over the rim of the mug, proved to be ineffectual in bringing Nissa out of her daze.

It worked though, and Nissa's rapid blinking became one drawn out blink, after which she opened her eyes and looked back at Keller with a steady and impenetrable gaze.

"I'm sorry," She said hurriedly, her voice revealing the emotion that her face was hiding. "I suppose that seemed somewhat odd," She tried to joke. When she realized that Keller wasn't going to humor her and simply forget about it, her attempt at a smile faded.

Karma, Keller wanted to say, now that the tables were turned and Nissa was the one who needed to do the explaining. She didn't say it.

She tapped her nails lightly on the table and assumed her authoritative expression.

Nissa sighed lightly and met Keller's gaze. She clasped her hands tightly and began rotating her thumbs slowly.

"What you said just…surprised me," She told Keller. She left it at that, as if it cleared everything up.

Keller however was unsatisfied with her response. She drummed her nails more quickly and pursed her lips. Her agitation may have been partly due to the fact that Nissa had been pestering her so much before, but she told herself that the larger part of it was because as leader of the team she needed to know these things.

"Nissa honestly, you didn't need to go bearing your soul to me there, there's such a thing as _over _sharing," Keller retorted mockingly.

Nissa furrowed her brow. "What?"

"I was kidding," Keller clarified. When Nissa still looked confused she added, "You didn't tell me anything."

"Ah, well, I used to know someone who frequently said that," Nissa said quietly.

Keller snorted. "Frequently said what, that they had dreams?"

"No."

It was Keller's turn to blink then at hearing such anger in Nissa's voice. She sounded genuinely offended by Keller's flippancy, but Keller couldn't understand why there was any reason not to be flippant about it. She felt like she had just committed a major social faux pas, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was.

"So, what then?" She asked hesitantly.

As she waited for Nissa to answer, a vibrant red bird sitting on a branch outside caught her eye. She stared at it, part of her expecting it to turn and stare back at her the way the wolf had.

"I used to know someone who had…disturbing dreams," Nissa finally confessed. "She would often tell me about them."  
Keller said nothing, not because she couldn't think of things to say, but because there was suddenly a great pain in Nissa's voice that made her feel like to say anything would be to intrude on her emotions. She thought that it would be insensitive to interrupt Nissa's thoughts or memories. The way that Nissa had been talking about the person, the girl, saying that she used to know her drove Keller to think that she was either dead or was someone Nissa was no longer connected to. She was obviously important though, or at least her dreams must have been memorable if Nissa was so affected by them.

The sound of a cheerful chirp resonated throughout the room.

Nissa took a sip of her coffee and made a face.

"This is terrible," She observed with a smirk. Keller felt some of the tension slip away.

"Didn't you make it?" She teased, trying to further lighten the mood.

Nissa nodded. "While I was waiting for you to wake up," She said. "How you even slept on that floor is beyond me," She added, sounding incredulous.

"You and me both," Keller muttered. Nissa didn't ask her to elaborate.

Overcome with curiosity Keller seized the opportunity and asked in a rather small voice, "What were they like, the dreams that she had?"

Nissa took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but when she reopened them Keller couldn't tell whether she had asked about the dreams of a possibly dead friend or Nissa's opinion of that day's weather. Her face was the epitome of serenity.

"Keller," She said in a voice that this time matched her expression, "I promise I will never question or refuse to answer anything you tell me or ask me. I only request that we don't discuss this particular matter…ever." She smiled emptily.

"That's fine," Keller rushed to say, waving her hand as if brushing the topic aside for good. "I'm sorry if that was too invasive," She apologized.

"No, don't be sorry," Nissa assured her. "I didn't give you much to go on, and after all I was 'interrogating' you before," She made air quotes when she said "interrogating" and cracked a real grin.

"Well you were," Keller grumbled, but she smiled anyway.

Nissa rolled her eyes. "Fine, than I guess in return for interrogating you and for your cooperation I promise not to ask you any more questions about your dreams," She said diplomatically.

Keller feigned outrage, "You said before that you weren't going to ask any follow-up questions," She reminded Nissa.

Nissa shrugged. "Yes, but I never actually intended to concede to that demand," she admitted unashamedly.

Keller glared at Nissa for a while, trying to instill some sort of fear as retribution for not following or at least not intending to follow an order, but Nissa simply continued to drink her coffee silently, and eventually Keller gave up and sipped hers as well.

"This doesn't taste that bad," She said. She didn't add that she could barely taste it anyway.

Nissa grimaced. "Its horrendous, I wouldn't even serve it to the Night World."

Keller groaned, remembering for the second time everything that they needed to do that day. There was the plan that needed to be discussed, and then of course when she was done telling Winnie and Nissa she would have to inform Iliana in some way or another. She briefly considered writing it all on a large sheet of paper and then just slipping it under Iliana's door. It was simple, practical, but not probable. There was no way she was getting off that easy. And of course Galen would…

Keller slowed her thoughts and prepared for the flood of pain that she fully expected was going to come. She had been spared from thinking too much about Galen, what with the attack, the weirdness of the night before and with Nissa's strange reaction to her question. She actually considered herself quite lucky that so much time had been taken up by other things, time that could have been spent moping and obsessing about Galen's rejection. But now here she was, and the thought had finally infiltrated her mind and was just begging to be acknowledged.

She tightened her muscles and waited, angry that the pain wouldn't come. She wanted to get it over with, wanted to be able to assess it and predict how much time it would take her to rid herself of it. Waiting for the inevitable was excruciating.

When nothing came, no pain or any other feeling resembling it, Keller made a snap decision to move on quickly and try to keep her mind occupied. It made more sense than just shutting down and waiting for something that was obviously set on taking its dear sweet time, time she didn't have.

"Boss?" Keller heard Nissa say inquisitively. She sounded concerned again.

"Yes?" Keller said, coming back to reality, "Sorry." She made an apologetic face.

"Was the joke that bad?" Nissa asked. The chuckle she threw in sounded forced.

"No," Keller said, "It was wonderful." The short laugh that came from across the table sounded real that time. "I just, you know, it was a long night." She gave Nissa a hard look, beseeching her to leave it at that.

Nissa nodded. "I know what you mean," She said understandingly. "All though it probably pales in comparison to yours, our night was actually quite eventful too."

"How So?" Keller asked.

Nissa held up her hands briefly, indicating that it would be a lengthy story. When Keller didn't object to this, she began.

"Well, a few hours after Winnie and Iliana and Galen had all gone to bed, I was still up. And, I started to hear these strange whimpering sounds coming from somewhere in the room, and after about fifteen minutes Winnie rolls over and asks me if I'm alright," Nissa made a sarcastic "touched" face, "She thought I was crying. After the fifth time that I told her I was absolutely fine she finally rolls back over, and right then we hear a very clear and very _human_ whimper," She raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "Care to wager a guess at who it was?"

Keller rolled her eyes. "Oh, let me see, could it be our reluctant wild power and witch child?"

"And she was trying to cover it up with a pillow," Nissa continued. "She was so apologetic when Winnie went over to comfort her." Keller could hear a hint of cynicism in Nissa's voice when she said that. She smiled internally, thankful that she wasn't the only one who found Iliana insufferable.

Nissa took a short breath. "So Winnie tried desperately to get Iliana to stop crying, but when that failed she _started _crying, and they ended up sobbing for hours together and telling each other that it was all going to be ok and it turned into a very long heart-to-heart," She finished, sounding vaguely annoyed. "And now they're the best of friends."

The disgusted snort that Keller had been trying to suppress escaped then. "Well," She mused sardonically, "Isn't that just peachy?"

Nissa nodded. "I have to admit, I couldn't really stomach it either. Once it had gone on for about two hours it became so painfully sappy I had to get up and leave the room," She told Keller. "Of course," She added with a small chuckle, "I almost broke my neck tripping over Galen."

"Was he in the room with you?" Keller asked in a distant voice, trying to conceal her considerable curiosity.

Nissa gave her an infinitesimal, sharp glance. "No, he was in the hall right outside the door."

"Protecting Iliana?" Keller guessed, the bitterness in her voice thankfully sounding normal.

Nissa nodded again. She leaned forward, but then, after a moment of hesitation she drew back.

Keller didn't acknowledge this. Instead she got up and walked to the sink. She poured the rest of the still steaming liquid into the drain, feeling the vague despair that came after thinking that things were getting better and then realizing that they weren't. Not like she had really assumed that everything was suddenly going to be fine, but only a few minutes ago she was sort of joking with Nissa and feeling for maybe the first time in days that she was treading water instead of drowning in it.

Now she had a million weights to bring her back down again. She had to worry about Galen and when she was finally going to feel something, she had to think about the attack, and the possible consequences of Winnie and Iliana being so close, and she had to do it all while living under a roof with a family that made her want to take a shard of glass and plunge it through her heart.

Oh, and of course she had to think about how in less than four days she would dead. Surprising how that slipped her mind.

"Hey Keller," Nissa said from behind her, "I know this is going to sound really phony and silly to you, but I just wanted you to know that – "

"Nissa I know what you're going to say, and thank you but I don't need to talk about anything or get anything off my chest," She said without turning around. "I just need you and Winnie to help me make this mission work."

Keller tried to convince herself that she was imagining it, but it was hard to deny the hurt in Nissa's voice when she said, "Sure, of course Boss," a few seconds later.

Stupid, why would you do that, the voice of reason demanded. You need someone in this crazy house that you can talk to, and if Winnie and Iliana are pals now, you're really going to need an ally.

Taking this into account, Keller looked back at Nissa and said in the friendliest voice she could muster, "But thank you."

What was strange was that she found herself actually meaning it.

Nissa didn't smile, but there was a change in her eyes that made Keller sure she was forgiven.

"You're welcome," Nissa said.

Keller made her way towards the door, brushing past Nissa.

"I think I need to get some air," She said.

"Go ahead," Nissa encouraged. "I'll get Winnie up, I'm sure after last night she's going to want to sleep till noon."

Keller nodded. She was about to walk through the door and into the living room when an impulse made her stop.

"You know you're a really good, um, individual Nissa," She said, uncomfortably but sincerely.

Nissa returned this compliment with, "You're a decent individual too Keller."

Keller didn't look back to see Nissa's expression, but she had a pretty good idea that she was smiling again.


	9. Chapter 9

The bright sun shone down on Keller as she stood on the raised cement platform outside of Iliana's door. She lifted her face to it, allowing her skin to soak up the rays.

It was warm outside. The sun cast a golden glow on the gray world. It was one of the rare days in the dark winter when the sun would make an appearance and convince the world that it was spring. Keller delighted in the warmth. She had been looking forward to North Carolina's weather when she first set off on the mission, but unfortunately she had neglected to take the season into consideration.

With her head still tilted skywards, she walked down the steps and out onto the grass, listening to the sounds of soul-numbing suburbia. There was the hum of a garage door and the roar of a car starting. A man and a woman spoke loudly about some sort of town function. A group of children being escorted by their parents to daycare or preschool were chortling, the parents attempting to yell over them.

Keller looked back down in time to see a teenage girl with a dark brown ponytail that whipped about fiercely run to the street and look around wildly. A few moments later a little green Honda pulled up and she hopped in with the speed of a jackrabbit. She looked at Keller with wide eyes as she passed by.

Keller couldn't help but pity them all, all of the people living out their average, mundane lives. They seemed so comfortable with their daily routines. Not in a million years would any one of them guess that in less than a week their streets would be lined with creatures they had been taught to deny the very existence of.

It was sad really, that their sense of what was real and what was fiction was so vastly skewed. Keller couldn't help but sometimes feel like what the Night World was doing wasn't so entirely off. Why _should_ they have to hide? Maybe if people knew about shape-shifters and vampires and werewolves and witches they could learn to accept them instead of being horrified by them. Maybe then, when a child with cat ears and a tail was born to someone who didn't have those particular features, that person could love the child instead of assuming that it was the spawn of Satan.

Of course the Night World also wanted to annihilate the human race. That was just taking it a bit too far, in Keller's opinion.

A brisk wind swept up then. It seemed to come from nowhere, and it cut through the warmth that Keller had been reveling in like a knife. It rustled her hair, causing some of it to blow in front of her face, momentarily blocking her vision. Once it was over, Keller felt a new and even more pleasantly intense heat. She didn't even bother to brush the strands of hair away, and instead simply stood and basked in the warmth and sunlight.

When she finally tossed her hair back behind her shoulder and could see more than a mass of tangled black, the corner of her eye caught the shine of a sleek, glossy automobile.

With a groan she turned reluctantly and was greeted by the sight of none other than Brett standing on the sidewalk leaning up against his car. He smiled at her when he caught her eye. A chill went up Keller's spine. She didn't know whether it was in response to the smile or a belated reaction to the wind.

When Brett reached her he gave her a brief once over. His smile widened.

"I like this look," He said, sounding like he was trying to stifle a laugh.

Keller ignored this. "Shouldn't you be at school?" She asked tersely, a little baffled that Brett was even speaking to her after yesterday, much less joking around with her. She had fully expected that if they were ever to meet again, something that she had planned on avoiding, they wouldn't be on the best of terms. In fact, she was still somewhat miffed at him for making that comment about her resenting happy people.

Brett shrugged. "Yes, but while I was on my way I thought I would drop by here and see if you or Iliana or anyone else needed a ride," He explained, brushing away a lock of chestnut hair that had flopped in front of his face. His fingers twitched as he clasped his hands behind his back and awaited an answer.

Keller gawked at him. Either he was one of the most forgiving people in the world, which she found highly unlikely, or he was as crazy as she was. He had been screaming at her the day before and now he was offering her a ride as if nothing had even happened. Keller wasn't too well versed in normal social conduct but even to her this seemed way off.

"Uh, Brett," She started, fumbling for words, "Iliana's still really too sick to be going to school."

Brett nodded, not looking overly heartbroken. Keller attempted to read more deeply into his expression but detected nothing beyond a vague disappointment.

Maybe he really is moving on from Iliana, she thought with a pang of jealously. At least he seemed to be faring far better than she was.

If that was the case though, why did he keep coming around? Keller had to assume that he was still somewhat hooked on Iliana if he had visited twice in two days. This lovely gesture of generosity was obviously a ploy to try to get back into her good graces after the way he treated her yesterday. He was probably beside himself over the way he had spoken to her. Very few in this town could function it seemed like if they even suspected that Iliana might be upset with them.

"I hope she feels better," Brett offered. He narrowed his eyes at Keller. "Are you still going?"

Shocked that he hadn't withdrawn his invitation immediately after discovering that Iliana wouldn't be attending school that day, Keller shook her head vigorously.

"Why would I go when she isn't even going?" she asked with a cringe.

Brett smiled mockingly. The look in his eyes seemed to suggest that she was missing something.

Keller realized what it was and rushed to defend herself, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Yes well, I had to go to the school yesterday to…get Iliana's assignments," She lied. She knew she didn't sound very convincing, but there was no reason for Brett to doubt her.

He raised his eyebrows. "Anyone in the school would have probably given their right arm to deliver her assignments to her," He pointed out. "I myself would have been happy to have gotten them for her."

Keller frowned. For the strangest reason his voice gave Keller the impression that he was toying with her, like he knew why she had gone, but of course that was impossible. He was merely another naïve human who would never even be able to wrap his mind around the sort of monsters that Keller had been protecting the school from.

Keller shook her head and quickly said, "She didn't want to inconvenience anyone, and I had nothing to do anyway." She felt quite proud of that particular fabrication. It sounded exactly like Iliana, always putting others first. There was no way that Brett could question that.

He didn't question it. He raked a hand through his shining hair, keeping his eyes fixed on her. At closer inspection Keller saw that his eyes still had the same disconcerting quality as yesterday, though today there was also something desolate in them as well. And as they bore into Keller's own eyes she began to feel an odd sense of déjà vu.

"So," She began after a short pause, "You should probably be on your way then."

This relatively innocent suggestion didn't seem to sit well with Brett.

His face changed, drastically. It was like the calm and pleasant mask fell away revealing the bitterness and anger behind it. She hadn't realized how fake his expression had looked until it was gone. Somehow the anger looked more natural.

Initially she assumed that he was finally going to reprimand her for the car incident, but that didn't seem to warrant the contorted expression on Brett's normally handsome face. He looked livid, the way he had looked during his rants, but Keller couldn't understand what had brought it on. She thought she was being polite, given the circumstances. She could easily have told him to get lost the moment she saw him.

As she watched him stand there seething her mind began to bombard her with reasons as to why she did not need this new mental strain. How could she be waiting for him to either calm down or unleash his unjustified wrath on her when there was so much to be done? She needed to get back inside; appeasing Brett honestly wasn't worth the trouble.

"Brett you need to – ," She began, about to demand that he leave immediately, and fully prepared to force him if necessary.

Before she could finish however, he walked away. She watched as he stormed around the front lawn, too distracted to finish her sentence but thoroughly regretting her decision to go outside.

After his footsteps had made a perceivable path in the flawless grass, he stopped about a foot from Keller and fixed her with a hard glare.

"I don't have much time," He said tightly.

With a frustrated sigh Keller said, "Yes, which is why you should leave, you're already late for school."

Disappointment colored Brett's face. He shook his head slowly.

"That's not…" He started to say, but trailed off. The look he gave her was reminiscent of the painfully hopeless one that she had caught yesterday right before they had parted. Seeing it so close made her quake slightly.

When it was gone Brett hung his head and said tiredly, "Yes, I should be going." He gave her a fleeting glance that was filled with some emotion Keller couldn't put her finger on.

As he walked towards his gleaming car, Keller's head began to pound wildly. She threw her hand to it, trying to calm the throbbing. She felt like she had to say something, like there was something crucial missing. What was she forgetting?

Then, with a shudder she realized what it was. She had forgotten to warn Brett against coming back. He couldn't be anywhere near Iliana's house until the attack was over. The thought of him even being a mile away from the house during the attack was…unpleasant. Actually Keller was oddly horrified by the possibility that Brett might call on Iliana at an inopportune time.

"Wait," She called, trying to keep her voice even and not come off as being nervous.

He stopped abruptly. He stood there for a moment, and then turned slowly. His face was grim.

"You really shouldn't come around here for a while," She advised, trying to put as much meaning into it without arousing suspicion in him. "You…don't want to catch Iliana's illness."

With a loud chirp, the brilliant red bird swooped past where Keller was standing. It came surprising close to her face and Keller had to duck her head to avoid a collision. As it flew into the sun she couldn't help but stare at it wistfully.

When she looked back Brett was staring at _her_. His mouth was open slightly in confusion and his brows were furrowed. Keller could tell that he was angry, not necessarily because she could see it on his face but because she could feel small waves of irritation radiating from him. The way that his lips were twitched upwards acerbically gave the impression that he was finding something darkly humorous.

What Keller found most intriguing though was the small glint of something resembling optimism in his deep blue eyes. It was so out of sync with the rest of his expression that she had to do a double take to make sure that she wasn't imagining it.

He opened his mouth wider, looking as though he was about to say something, and then he closed it. He repeated this action four more times. Each time Keller inclined towards him and waited patiently for him to speak. By the fourth time Keller was leaning so far forward that she had to wave her arms slightly to balance herself and keep from pitching forward.

Aggravated by her small stumble and the situation itself she snapped, "I'm going inside, come back in about a week."

After a curt nod she headed towards the door, her throat tightening as she considered that those would probably be the last words she ever said to him. She found it a little upsetting.

She hadn't made it very far though before he called out, "Keller."

She tried to convince herself that what she was feeling was definitely not relief as she whipped around.

"What?"

Brett put his hands in his pockets and smiled infuriatingly, prompting Keller to wonder why the _hell_ he looked so happy. He had just successfully executed another emotional one-eighty. At this point it was undeniable that he was as insane as she was, or perhaps more so.

"I think I'll take my chances," He informed her lightly. While his smile was wide his eyes were still confused, but the confusion was waning. And while the smile wasn't really joyful, it gave Keller a strange fuzzy feeling in the back of her throat.

"No, you don't understand," she began desperately. She couldn't risk him coming back until there wasn't even the slightest possibility of the Night World hurting him, or killing him. She had to do everything in her power to ensure that the innocent remained unharmed.

"You seem to be fine, and you're living with her," Brett observed. "If you haven't caught whatever she has I probably won't either." He looked strangely pleased as he waited for Keller to answer, like he already knew what the outcome of the argument would be.

"No Brett, I was…vaccinated for it and it's really rare and sometimes lethal," She said. She made her voice dark and ominous when she added that it was "lethal" in hopes that it would sway him from wanting to be anywhere near the house. Humans usually had a pretty good sense of self preservation.

Brett didn't seem to have that particular instinct. With a small smile he asked, "Didn't she say that she was feeling better yesterday?"

"She was delirious yesterday, she had no idea what she was talking about," Keller lied, the smallest amount of sarcasm slipping into her voice.

"Just give me one day," Brett bargained. He wasn't pleading with her but Keller thought that she heard yearning hidden beneath his impartial tone.

She clutched her stomach as it began to churn nervously. Stress seemed to seep out of her pours, diffusing through the air and lingering in the space between her and Brett. The look he gave her suggested that he was beginning to detect it.

The bird let out another piercing chirp.

"Brett you're not listening to me," Keller tried again. The attempt she made at keeping her voice resigned was a halfhearted one. She was far past the point of caring whether or not she sounded normal. If Brett took her tone as a sign that she was unstable, at least maybe then he would have more incentive to leave.

"I am," Brett argued, "But you refuse to accept that maybe you're being just a little bit ridiculous."

"I'm doing this for your own good!" Keller yelled.

"I doubt this is a seriou_s _as you think," Brett said slowly and meaningfully.

"I can't stress the seriousness of this enough," She said through tightly clenched teeth.

"Just one day," Brett requested again. "I won't even go inside the house, just let me take you for a drive or, or we could do something else, anything else." His eyes were wide and entreating.

Keller struggled with her desire to simply walk away. The sanity that she was clinging to so feverishly seemed to be slipping away as more obstacles presented themselves to her. This was certainly something that she didn't need to think about with everything else going on.

Why though, she wondered, was he so determined to spend time with her? She ruled attraction out immediately, knowing that it was highly unlikely that anyone would find someone who obviously had emotional baggage and who felt comfortable with springing out of moving cars appealing. Friendship seemed improbable as well, mostly because they had hardly spent any time together and the time that they had spent together had been tumultuous at best. While there was no way to deny that he was messed up, her initial assessment of him couldn't have been that off. He was still rich, popular and good looking, and in Keller's experience that type didn't tend to crave her company. It wasn't as though he had become a completely different person.

"Why?" She demanded finally when she couldn't come up with a conceivable reason herself.

Brett gave her a probing look and began chewing his lips. He seemed like he was struggling to find an answer himself.

Something that resembled a sly grin came across his face, but it was so fleeting that Keller was forced to think that she had either imagined it or that it was a facial spasm. After that his face became vulnerable and he shifted in discomfort.

"I'm just having a hard time getting over Iliana, and I was thinking that since you're going through something similar with, correct me if I'm wrong, Galen, that perhaps we could talk about it, be each other's support," He explained.

Nothing about his speech implied that he was lying. And the reason made perfect sense. Of course he would be having a difficult time forgetting Iliana. Yet Keller felt her suspicion grow even more.

Rather than press the matter further though, she took a moment to consider whether it might be easier and less strenuous too simply believe him. What right did she have to doubt his word? Anyway, she had already come to the conclusion that Brett was far too complicated for her to assume that she could read into his words or emotions. He was a complete enigma to her.

Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible to talk to someone, Keller considered, or at least help him get through his devastation. The idea wasn't entirely repulsive.

_But you have no time for that_, the voice reminded her, its nagging tone becoming manic as it realized it was losing control.

Keller knew that it was a valid point. The clock was literally ticking, each second bringing them that much closer to the attack. Her better judgment was compelling her to refuse.

The force working against her better judgment was reminding her that she only had a few more days to _live_. It was a sobering thought, one that made her seriously debate whether she really wanted to spend the rest of her time surrounded by people who she could barely stand. Well, two people that she could barely stand.

As long as she saw to everything else there was no reason to sit around and wait for the Night World to knock on the door.

It was going against her responsibilities as a leader, but in light of the circumstances Keller couldn't help but feel a bit rebellious.

"An hour, that's all I have time for," Keller announced, her voice strong and resolute. It more for her benefit than for Brett's.

Brett's eyes gleamed. "I'll pick you up after school."

"Fine," Keller responded. "But promise me now that you wont even think about coming around after today, not even for a brief visit, absolutely not at all for at least a week," She demanded, raising her chin.

Brett's smile fell away. "Fine," he agreed.

Keller nodded, feeling slightly lightheaded. Her little rebellion had given her a bit of a buzz.

She raised a finger. "And," She continued in a no-nonsense tone, "If you say anything that is in any way displeasing I am at full liberty to jump out of the car again, and you will simply have to keep on driving, understood?"

Brett cracked a smile then, his stony face reanimating.

"Could you at least give me a heads up?" he requested dryly. "Maybe yell 'Geronimo'?"

Keller gave him a solemn look. "We'll have to see."

Brett omitted a small chuckle. It was an uncomfortable laugh, like the kind of laugh that would infiltrate a conversation when people either had nothing else to say or were avoiding a subject. Keller didn't mind it though. She actually joined in with him when the laughter began to sound genuine.

When it was over and they had resorted to looking intently at their own feet, Brett mumbled something in the direction of the ground that Keller couldn't quite hear.

"What?" She asked, lifting her head.

Surprise flitted across Brett's face as he rushed to say, "Nothing." He let out his breath in a huff. "So, I should be going then," He said lightly.

"Well, if you care at all about your education," Keller agreed.

Brett nodded distractedly until his eyes sharpened on something behind Keller. The muscles in his face tightened. He made an irritated click with his tongue and raised his eyebrows mockingly.

His reaction gave Keller a pretty good idea of what, or rather who, was behind her.

The sound of his long strides proceeded Galen. When he reached them he stopped and stood in the space between Keller and Brett.

Keller was fully prepared to feel it then, the pain that she had so mercifully been evading. With Galen right there next to her, there was no chance of her escaping it. She tightened her fists discreetly and waited.

Nothing happened.

Maybe it was her rebellion buzz discombobulating her and preventing her from feeling anything. Maybe her mind was defending itself by cutting her off from her emotions, keeping her numb as apposed to broken and miserable.

Whatever it was she thanked and cursed it, then moved on quickly as she had done earlier.

She peered more closely at Galen when it seemed safe to do so. His golden hair was disheveled from sleep. The way it glowed in the sunlight made it look like a radiant halo graced his head. Keller found the look very fitting. His blazing gold-green eyes were melancholy but commanding.

He kept his eyes on Brett while he asked, "Are you coming inside soon?"

Again Keller wanted to inquire why he was treating Brett so disdainfully. The way the two of them acted around each other was peculiar. The tension between them was almost tangible.

"Yes soon," She answered while staring at Galen. She was trying to decipher the fiery look that had suddenly come into his eyes.

When she gave up and looked over at Brett she saw that his face was equally menacing. He was smirking at Galen, his eyes cold and seditious.

_Because of Iliana_, Keller realized. _Galen knows that Brett has his eye on her and is feeling territorial. And Brett hates that Galen's with Iliana._

It made perfect sense. Once again everything led back to Iliana.

_It's lucky the girl is _pure_ enough not to let all of this get to her head_,Keller thought snidely.

As thoughts of Iliana fouled her mood Keller grabbed Galen's sleeve and tugged forcefully. For a brief second after her hand made contact with his arm she considered that this might spark the unfortunate feelings, but when she was still standing up straight and not doubled over in pain the next second she reconsidered.

"I'm ready Galen, lets just get inside," She urged. He resisted. She tugged harder but it was to no avail.

She looked back and forth between Brett and Galen. Neither one of them seemed to register that she was even there.

_You don't have time for this_, the voice said wearily.

Keller groaned. "I'm going inside, see you later Brett."

Galen's eyes flicked to her then. He was looking at her with a startled expression. Actually it was more along the lines of horrified.

Brett's eyes also came to rest on her, though they lingered on Galen for a long time. He seemed much more unwilling to break his gaze.

"Ya I'll see you then," he said, his tone bitter. The way he looked at Keller was bordering on accusatory.

"Bye Brett," Galen said in a way that they all could tell really meant _get the hell out of here._

Brett didn't even acknowledge him. He shook his head slowly as he made his way to the car.

Keller watched as he started the engine and drove off along the onyx road.

When he was out of sight, Galen exploded.

"What did he mean by 'see you later'?" He asked furiously. "Are you going somewhere with him?" He was burning a hole in the side of Keller's head; Keller refused to look at him, not wanting to awaken any sort of unwanted emotion. She figured if she couldn't see him it might help her chances.

"Keller," Galen continued, his voice becoming pleading, "You can't go anywhere with him."

Keller had to face him then. "Pray tell why," she requested sarcastically.

Galen pursed his lips and drummed his fingers against his leg. It was then that Keller realized she was still clutching his other arm. She released it immediately and took two or three steps back.

"I know," Galen tried, but he stopped short and sighed. "I know that I have no right to tell you who to be around, but –"

"That's right Galen, you don't," Keller agreed, interrupting him with a calm voice.

"But Keller I really don't think that you should be around _him_," Galen reiterated.

"Again, why?" Keller asked, still keeping herself collected.

"There's something wrong with him," Galen offered as his reason.

Keller laughed. "Indeed."

Galen looked distressed. "No, I mean something truly wrong with him," he went on. "Cant you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Keller inquired, feeling the onset of frustration.

"I don't know," Galen confessed.

Keller snorted. This earned her an angry look from the haloed boy. For a wild second Keller pictured him as an angel of death, brandishing a sword that glowed as brilliantly as his hair. It was the first time Keller had seen him resembling the warrior that he was supposed to become. She didn't like it, but part of her respected him more for it.

"Galen you're being foolish," Keller said. "And I'm not in any way convinced."

"Listen to me Keller," Galen began again, "Have you ever had a, a gut feeling about someone?"

Keller rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Are you saying that you have never felt like someone was just…" he trailed off and widened his eyes at her imploringly.

"What are you implying?" she asked, her composure reaching its breaking point.

Galen crossed his arms. "I know it might sound ridiculous, but I just get this horrible feeling when I'm around him," he explained. His eyes bore into Keller as he said, "He's not a good person."

Keller snapped internally. She had had it with Brett wanting Iliana and Galen fighting to keep Iliana, a useless fight seeing as how she was head over heels in love with Galen and nothing was going to change that.

"Stop ok?" She asked him in a strained voice. "I know why you're doing this and I think that you're being an idiot. Brett poses no threat to you," she assured him.

Galen looked confused for a moment. He shrugged and simply said, "Don't go with him today."

Keller wanted to laugh. "Not a chance," she responded.

Galen paused. A second later a look of shame came across his face, though behind it was hard determination.

"You know Keller I am the prince of the shape-shifter's and –"

Keller smirked. "You've got to be kidding me," she said incredulously. "I'll follow orders when they make sense, but this is ludicrous. And if the First House doesn't even have enough control to stop the shape-shifters from joining the Night World, I doubt you have much authority over me anymore," she pointed out somberly.

A minute later she fully regretted adding the last part. Galen seemed to deflate as the words hit their intended target.

"Sorry, that was out of line," Keller admitted after a moments hesitation. She regarded him meaningfully, "You know that you have my allegiance."

Galen just nodded sullenly. Apparently the jibe had done a number on him.

Luckily though, Keller was completely spared from the knee-jerk reaction to try and comfort him. In fact, while she was feeling remorse for insulting him she found that she wasn't feeling much else. No pain or anything resembling it.

_Why are you even waiting_, she asked herself in a moment of clarity. It was so cowardly, just biding her time until something hit her.

She would face it, she decided. She wouldn't wait on pins and needles until the hurt came.

This decision might have felt more liberating had it not taken her such a lengthy amount of time to make it.

"Galen," She began, "I am going today, and it won't be very long, and it will completely fine."

Galen looked so conflicted that Keller almost pitied him. Almost, being the operative word. His look wasn't changing her mind at all. There was no way though that she was going to stay at Iliana's house. If Galen didn't like it, that was his problem.

"Keller if this is, and I don't mean to offend you by suggesting it, a…way of getting back at –"

Keller felt a fire light inside her. "A way of getting back at you," She finished angrily. She stepped forward and fixed him with a ferocious glare. "No that is not what this is, and if you don't mind I think I will take offense." She cocked her head at him. "I like Brett, and guess what, so does your girlfriend," she reminded him. "If you don't trust my judgment, trust hers."

"Iliana tends to see the good in people," he retorted. "You on the other hand are a bit more critical, so I thought that surely you would be able to see the truth."

"This is all in your mind Galen, there is no_ truth_."

Galen drew in a long, shaky breath. It was strange to see Galen when he was around Brett, or even talking about him. It was like adding sodium to water. On its own water is calm and hardly considered dangerous, but when mixed with sodium the combination resulted in an explosion. Brett was Galen's sodium.

"I'll ask one more time," He said slowly. "_Please _don't go with Brett today." He raised his hand when he saw Keller open her mouth. "I_ know_ that there is something wrong with him," He insisted. "I really, really don't think that you should go with him."

Keller waited a beat. "No," she said resolutely.

Galen's face didn't change. It was almost like he hadn't heard her at all.

"Fine," he said. "I'll see you inside."

He walked hastily back to the house. Once he was on the steps he turned around and opened his mouth, but then he closed it abruptly and entered the house without another word.

Keller waited a few seconds, then followed his lead and made her way towards the house, feeling nothing more than dread at the prospect of what awaited her inside.


	10. Chapter 10

"So if no one has any objections, I think that this is our best option."

Keller waited in silence as she allowed her words to sink in.

For the past hour she had been explaining her idea in great detail to her team, Iliana and Galen. Surprisingly it had been a relatively painless experience. In fact, it had been the least stressful part of her morning. It was calming for her to focus on something that she knew she could control and she found that concentrating on the attack also prevented _other_ issues from entering her mind.

Now that was over. She had taken all the time she could, and knew that she could no longer avoid actually discussing the attack with the rest of the group. A small part of her hoped that everyone would just accept that her idea was the best and leave it at that. Maybe they found Keller's plan to be faultless and had no suggestions or negative opinions that they felt compelled to voice.

Iliana's small throat clearing marked the demise of that particular wish.

Keller inclined her head toward the sliver haired girl and tried to keep an open mind about whatever Iliana might have to say. She reminded herself that it was, after all, Iliana's life that was being uprooted. She motioned for Iliana to speak.

Iliana nodded. Her hair rippled as her head moved.

"First I just want to say that your plan sounds really nice Keller," Iliana told her with a half-smile.

Keller internally shuddered at hearing a plan to thwart a potentially horrific attack being called "nice". Of course sweet little Iliana would describe something like that as "nice".

_At least she's making an effort._

Iliana brushed her hair delicately with one hand. "There were only a couple of things that I wanted to point out," She continued hesitantly.

Keller stiffened slightly. "A couple of things," She repeated hollowly.

"Yes," Iliana said, seeming to gain momentary strength. "I just noticed that you weren't planning on sending anyone to protect my family, and I would like for someone to go with them to make sure that they're ok."

Keller wanted to tell her _why_ it wasn't necessary to send someone with her family, but she sensed that Iliana wasn't about to let her interrupt.

"I was also wondering where exactly you wanted Galen and me to go, and if you don't know I can think of a few places that might work," Iliana said, glancing warmly at Galen for a brief second before looking back at Keller.

Keller mentally cussed and searched her mind for possibilities. It wasn't an awful idea to have Iliana pick the place, she did know the area far better than Keller, but Keller was dead set against letting Iliana choose. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone like Iliana would pick a place that would be easy for the Night World to find.

She put that thought in the back of her mind and waited for Iliana to continue.

"And the last thing that I wanted to bring up," Iliana said, looking at Keller intently, "is that, Keller, you don't have to stay."

Keller let her face slip a little. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch in surprise.

"What?"

Iliana didn't let up. She didn't quake with fear or recoil from the malice in Keller's voice. Instead she did the last thing that Keller expected.

She reached out and took Keller's hand.

Keller was paralyzed with shock. She stared at Iliana's hand as if it was an enormous spider that had crawled onto her own hand and proceeded to tap dance. She felt like she should be infuriated or disgusted but the only emotion that she could register was confusion.

When she could break her eyes away she looked around the room for help. Winnie and Nissa seemed to be as stunned as she was. Neither of them offered any support. Eventually Winnie snickered, breaking the silence.

"Keller," Iliana said, forcing Keller to look back at her. "While I'm grateful for the sacrifice you wanted to make for us, it's completely unnecessary."

Iliana's eyes were brimming with kindness but for once Keller wasn't sickened by it. It was probably because of the shock still coursing through her.

The words sounded strange when they echoed in Keller's mind. She felt lost and dazed as she tried to process them.

"What?" She asked again, bewilderment coloring her voice.

Iliana squeezed Keller's hand. Her face was almost painful to look at. It was beyond angelic; she looked like a goddess, radiant with love.

Why wasn't Keller throwing up at the sight of it?

"You don't have to die for us," Iliana said plainly. "We won't allow you to do that."

Keller looked at the others, waiting for them to either confirm or deny this. Nissa said nothing but the look in her eyes told Keller that she felt the same way. Galen muttered a quick "It's true" but the second his lips closed he turned away and went back to looking glum.

When her eyes reached Winnie, the witch let out a laugh.

"Boss, we all know you want to be a hero but I'm sure you'll be able to find a more sensible way to do it than this," She said pleasantly. She tossed her hair and gazed up at Iliana with a wicked grin, as if the two were conspiring together. Keller noted how she was sitting on the floor at Iliana's feet, guarding her. The shift in alliances was perceivable, and for a moment Keller's nerves flared up. She didn't want Winnie and Iliana's new friendship to get in the way of her leading the team.

She decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.

She brought her thoughts back to what Winnie had just said. Was she right? She could ignore Iliana's suggestions but if one of her team members disagreed with something she had to pay heed to her opinions, at least to some extent.

Maybe Winnie's just siding with Iliana because of the stupid bond they have now Keller thought. It was possible that Winnie felt obligated to back up Iliana.

Keller ran over the plan again, trying to find her reasons for why she had to stay and fight.

A few automatically popped into her mind. The first one that came up was pride. If she ran away with the rest of them it would be cowardly. She wouldn't even want to live with herself knowing that she had fled a fight. Another one was the fact that the neighbors might need protection from the ruthless Night World and while she might not be useful for that long, she would probably be able to fend off a few of the attackers.

But for an instant she entertained the possibility that it was a reasonable argument. She pictured herself leaving with the rest of the group. She saw herself staying with Galen and Iliana, since it was her duty as leader of the group to protect them. The idea didn't seem as terrible as it had a few minutes ago.

She needed a dependable voice of reason to make her decision.

She fixed her eyes on Nissa, who returned her gaze with a pensive stare.

"Do you agree with Winnie?" She asked solemnly.

The vampire looked back at her contemplatively. Her expression was a far cry from the one that Keller had witnessed earlier that morning. She was so put together, so calm and passive. It was almost hard to imagine that there had been actual emotion on that placid face.

"Boss," she said at last, "There is no viable reason for you to stay, and the fact that you even considered fighting the Night World by yourself is ridiculous."

At this Winnie nodded emphatically. "Did you really think we would let you stay here and fight the Night World alone?" she asked in disbelief.

Winnie's words didn't really register with Keller. She felt lightheaded. She tried to concentrate on feeling the ground beneath her feet to remind herself that she was still standing and not hovering above Iliana's living room floor.

Ok, she could disregard Iliana _and _Winnie's opinions, but Nissa was _the_ voice of reason. She was a walking library with all the knowledge and wisdom that one person could ever need. And Keller trusted her. Nissa's advice was not to be taken lightly.

The questioned buzzed in her mind like an irritating insect. She was torn, half of her ranting and raving about the disgrace of running away from a fight and the other half of her completely relieved at hearing that her life might not have to end so soon.

As if sensing her indecision Nissa added, "What made you think that you needed to stay?"

Keller tried to rustle up a commanding tone so that she wouldn't seem so dazed and confused. This wasn't how a leader was supposed to react to surprises. She tried to convince herself that this wasn't how she normally would have reacted, that Iliana had thrown her off guard.

Blaming Iliana made her feel a bit more like herself.

"We can't have the Night World killing an entire neighborhood can we?" she asked rhetorically, confidence flowing back into her. "If we leave Iliana's neighbors unprotected, there's a good chance that they will be in great peril."

Another snicker came from bellow Keller. Winnie was looking up at her, about ready to burst into full blown guffaws.

Keller was momentarily horrified. Had Winnie lost her mind? Why was she suddenly finding the potential deaths of innocent human beings so humorous?

"What Winfrith?" she snapped.

Amidst giggles Winnie responded, "You really do have a death wish don't you Boss?"

Frustrated by Winnie's immaturity Keller retorted coolly, "No, I don't, but I think that you might."

Winnie immediately silenced. The mirth drained out of her eyes.

"Keller," Galen said, gracefully slipping off of the arm of the chair, "I think what Winnie is referring to is that it's very unlikely that the Night World is going to attack uninvolved humans."

Keller groaned. "Have you seen the news Galen, that's what's been happening!"

"I'll put wards on every house on the street," Winnie offered, her tone indignant.

Winnie's suggestion brought something else to mind. "What about this house?" Keller retorted. "I know you're powerful Winnie, but are your wards really strong enough to protect this house?" she questioned skeptically.

Winnie reddened with anger. "For your information, Grandma Harman helped me put up these wards. If my powers aren't strong enough I'm sure that her powers should certainly do the trick"

Oh, Keller had completely forgotten that. It seemed so long ago that the crone of the witches had graced them with her presence. As Keller recalled they had been in the same living room that they were conversing in now.

A trickle of relief was starting to circulate through her system. She tried not to let it spread, but it felt nice nonetheless.

"Ok," she said in a sigh. She tried to organize her thoughts. "So if this house is protected, and Iliana's neighbors will be safe…" she trailed off. The attack had seemed so frightening, so inescapable yesterday. Now it seemed like there was nothing to worry about. It was just way too good to be true.

"Keller, as long as we can find a safe place for Iliana's family and an even more secure place for Iliana and Galen, we'll be alright," Nissa said calmly. She gave Keller a supportive smile.

"Just out of curiosity, why can't I stay with my family?" Iliana asked, sounding like she was trying to suppress the frightened child inside of her.

Nissa answered her, relieving Keller of the stress of explaining something so simple. "Because it would be more difficult to protect all of you together," the vampire said.

Keller could see Iliana nodding slowly out of the corner of her eye.

"And why don't you think that someone should stay with them?" Iliana asked again, a question that was obviously directed at Keller.

As Keller looked back at her she realized that Iliana was still clutching her hand. She pulled it away gently. Iliana didn't try to restrain her.

"The Night World doesn't care about your family, if they're after you they won't go through the trouble of finding your family too," she told her impassively.

A light flashed in Iliana's eyes. "We should make it easier for them to find me then, I would rather have them find me than my family," she said.

Keller was taken aback by the strength in her voice. Brave, she admitted, but stupid.

"You know why that can't happen," she reminded Iliana. "You wouldn't just be sacrificing yourself; you would be sacrificing the entire human race."

Keller hated how doubtful Iliana looked, even though she didn't try to protest.

"The Night World is not going to take the time to search for both you and your family. It would be foolish." Keller assured her. "We're hoping that they wont try to find you either," she added.

"If we're fairly certain that the Night World won't search her out, why not take her to Circle Daybreak?" Nissa asked.

"Because we're only _fairly_ certain that the Night World won't try to find her," Keller explained. "I'm not willing to take that risk."

Nissa turned to Galen. "Why not take her to the First House then?"

Galen answered her quietly. "My parents wouldn't want to get involved, not while there's so much turmoil."

"What?" Winnie interjected. She sounded furious.

Surprised, Galen widened his sad eyes. Iliana reached over and rested her hand on his arm.

"Why would they not let us stay if the solstice ceremony is only two days away?" Iliana asked innocently.

There was an awed silence that swept through the room. All forms of noise making ceased, including breathing.

Keller mentally played back what she had just heard. If her ears hadn't been deceiving her, Iliana had actually spoken of the solstice ceremony without making it sound like a death sentence. Her words had seemed more than accepting. It was like she was actually looking forward to it.

Galen had noticed it too. His jaw hung slack as he gazed into Iliana's eyes. For a second Keller thought he was going to faint.

Then he began to glow. Light and joy burst forth from him, all of it directed at Iliana. It wasn't the warrior angel glow that Keller had seen when he was confronting Brett. That was frightening, this was beautiful.

Keller had witnessed Iliana fall in love with Galen. She knew it as soon as she saw the way Iliana looked at Galen after the car accident.

Now she had witnessed Galen fall in love with Iliana. Or maybe not so much fall in love because that had already happened. She had just seen every ounce of doubt drain out of Galen. There was nothing left but love and hope. She could almost see the connection between them, like buzzing electricity. Sure they had been inseparable since the accident, but that could have been written off as puppy love. This was so real and sincere that Keller couldn't even find a way to mock it, nor did she want to.

However, she had no intention of halting the meeting so the two could bask in their love. With an impatient click of her tongue she brought the group back to order.

"So Galen, what do you think about Iliana's suggestion?" she demanded trying to shake off the soft, warm feelings that Iliana and Galen's happiness was generating.

Galen sighed, his face slipping back into its previous melancholy expression.

"They wouldn't want to take the risk," he said. "This whole thing is neutral. Neither side would want to be too involved."

The members of Keller's team gave each other knowing looks. Galen had a point. It was somewhat unfair of them to ask the First House for sanctuary and not involve the witches at all.

Of course, Keller thought, it was somewhat unfair of the shape-shifters and the witches to abandon them in their crisis and leave them to fend for themselves.

"Actually," Iliana spoke quietly, "Now that I think about it, maybe it would be best to just keep both sides safe. I don't want them to be protecting someone who can't hel –,"she stopped abruptly, "Who might not even be able to help them."

One… two…three, Keller counted in her head. Attempting to convince herself that it was foolish to lash out at Iliana for saying that was proving to be difficult. She had heard it so many times already. It was like listening to a broken record.

"Let me make this very clear," she began, "you are the wild power, and you are the witch child. And if you say otherwise one more time I will find the sharpest object in the room and cut out your tongue with it," she threatened.

Two people glared at Keller. One person simply hung her head and let her hair cover her face.

"Not to rain on the parade Boss, but she might need that," Nissa reminded.

"Whatever," Keller retorted. "That's irrelevant, what matters is that Iliana promises to stop with the 'I have no connection to this whatsoever' remarks, is that at all possible?"

Iliana's cheeks became pink. "I only meant that we don't know for sure that I am, and if all these

people risk everything for me and I…I can't help them then I…" her hand flew over to Galen.

Galen's arms wound around Iliana and squeezed her tightly. Keller could imagine what that felt like, in fact she remembered exactly what it felt like. Right now Iliana felt warm and safe, like nothing in the world could ever hurt her again. It was like being in the eye of a storm, calm and peaceful even though you were surrounded by turmoil.

_Stupid, idiotic, weak_, the voice chided. _You've been doing so well; don't let this break you down._

Keller knew that she had felt a twinge of something. She wasn't sure whether it was pain, regret, humiliation or vague disgust, but it was something.

She put it out of her mind in time to hear Galen speak.

His hand was cupped under Iliana's chin now. "No matter what happens, even if you turn out not to be the wild power or the witch child, it wont be your fault so don't ever blame yourself," he assured her gently.

"Galen's right," Winnie chirped, "It would be our mistake for finding the wrong person and getting you involved in all of this for no reason."

"But you are," Keller said resolutely, ending the discussion.

Iliana seemed resigned, but before she laid the subject to rest she looked up at Galen and said, "I really hope I am."

They all understood the meaning of her words.

Galen beamed down at her. He swiftly kissed the top of her head, blushing slightly as he did so.

Iliana giggled softly and returned his smile.

Keller was relieved that she felt sickened by the sight of it. If she had been able to watch it without bile rising up in her throat she would have been very disappointed in herself.

Unfortunately the twinge came back, so it sort of negated the relief.

"Boss, I was just wondering, when do you plan on having us leave for wherever it is that we're going?" Nissa questioned.

"Tomorrow morning," Keller spit out before she had thought about it.

Nissa and Winnie nodded in approval so apparently it was a decent idea.

Iliana was not so enthusiastic about it.

"That doesn't give my parents any time to prepare, they don't even know where they're going yet!" She exclaimed.

Galen stroked her hair and whispered things in her ear that he might as well have said aloud. She and Nissa could both clearly hear every tender word that he was murmuring to Iliana. She tried to induce ear ringing so that she could be spared from it.

The feeling rose up again and formed an uncomfortable lump in the back of her throat.

She hadn't registered before that Galen and Iliana were publicly displaying their affection for each other. In regards to the mission it was a good sign, but personally Keller missed their no-contact rule.

"Excuse me," She said acerbically, interrupting their sweet nothings, "It would be nice if we could get on with this."

Galen and Iliana gave her sheepish looks and the whispering subsided.

"Ok, so we are leaving tomorrow and Winnie," she glanced at the peppy witch, "You'll be able to convince Iliana's parents that they have to go on a _vacation_ right?"

Winnie seemed uncertain at first, which sent Keller into a fit of impatience. She knew perfectly well that Winnie was capable of planting the idea in the minds of Iliana's parents. The witch was just thinking about Iliana, and her concern for her wishes was preventing her from giving the obvious answer.

"_Winnie_?" Keller prompted ominously.

Defeated, Winnie nodded. She looked up at Iliana with an apologetic smile.

"Alright then," Keller said. "Now we just need to think of where everyone should go." She looked around, opening the floor for suggestions.

Iliana was the first one to throw out a possibility. "My dad has a distant cousin who always asks us to visit," she informed Keller. "He lives really far away, so my parents could go there."

Keller nodded. It wasn't a bad suggestion actually, depending on what Iliana considered to be far away.

"Where exactly does he live?" She asked.

"Iowa," Iliana said looking hopeful.

"That sounds good Boss," Winnie said encouragingly. Obviously she wanted to get on Iliana's good side. Trying to be a good little sidekick, Keller thought snidely.

Keller ignored her and turned to Nissa who nodded her head.

Keller didn't look at Galen to see his reaction. She had a fairly good guess as to what it would be.

"Alright then," she said again. She marveled at how nicely the pieces were coming together. It was too simple, but figured she might as well enjoy it while she could.

"Galen and Iliana will have to go somewhere too, so…anyone have an idea?"

This part of the plan was slightly more difficult. The most important thing was to find a place that would be totally secure. It also had to be somewhat close since the Solstice ceremony was rapidly approaching and extensive travel could be detrimental to their mission. If it was close enough for them to be able to monitor the attack that would be fantastic, but that such a place would exist was unlikely.

Keller listed off the criteria she had come up with to the group in hopes that it would speed up the process.

She internally groaned when she saw Iliana's face light up immediately after she was done.

"Keller," she said, grinning joyously, "I think I know a place."

Keller nodded, the "no" ready and waiting on her lips.

"Jamie's house!" Iliana exclaimed exuberantly.

"No!"

The livid voice rang in Keller's ears, and it took her a moment to realize that it had not been her own.

She looked over at Galen, who was absolutely seething. His face was bright red and his eyes were staring daggers at no one in particular, but Keller could tell that he had someone in mind.

More striking however was Iliana's look of utter consternation. Keller realized then that Iliana had never seen Galen so angry. Their short run in with Brett yesterday had only given her a small taste of Galen's apparent rage.

Keller turned her eyes back to Galen, who seemed to be gaining control again. He wasn't calm by any stretch of the imagination, but it looked like he could at least speak without having every word come out as a scream.

"Would you like to elaborate on that Galen?" Keller asked. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't wait for Galen to explain to Iliana that they simply couldn't stay at Jamie's house because Jamie's twin brother, one of Iliana's good friends, was evil. The very idea filled her with wicked glee.

Winnie grunted and gave Keller a pointed look. Keller remembered that Winnie and Nissa had not been there yesterday to see Galen break character. This was completely out of the blue for them. They probably though he was possessed.

Galen ignored Keller and looked right at Iliana.

"We can't stay at that house," He said resolutely.

"Why?" Iliana asked meekly. She was gripping his hand tightly as if the rest of his sanity might slip away if she let go.

Keller intervened, though it pained her to do so. "Iliana, why don't you just tell us what gave you the idea that Jamie's house would be a good place," she suggested, anxious to get the whole thing over with.

At first Iliana seemed too distraught to speak, but after a moment she rallied and reverted to her normal, innocent, doe-eyed self.

"I just thought," she began in a whimper, "that it worked with everything you said."

Keller thought a moment, eager to dismiss Iliana's assessment, but found that it was actually a fairly decent idea. It was close, although maybe a little closer than she was comfortable with. It was definitely ideal for monitoring the attack. And safety wise it was probably as good as they could do.

"It's very close," Keller said, voicing her main concern.

"But perhaps just close enough," Nissa commented speculatively.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Boss," Nissa began, "that when the Night World goes looking for her when they realize she isn't at her house, the last place that they would look is in the town." She paused, waiting for Keller to confirm this.

Keller nodded slowly. "Only, if for some reason the wards don't work and they're able to ransack the house they might find a way to trace Iliana to Jamie's house," she glanced at Iliana. "I'm assuming you have pictures and phone numbers and such, things that could be used to find her?"

"Yes, but I can get rid of all of those," Iliana offered quickly.

"Sounds good," Keller said. She tried hard not to cringe when Iliana beamed back at her.

"_What_?"

Galen stared at them, looking incredulous.

"You can't be serious," he said. "This is an awful idea!"

"Galen," Iliana said soothingly, "It'll be fine." She stroked his arm lightly.

"Iliana's right," Keller agreed. "This is our best option."

Galen tore his eyes away from Iliana's hand and focused them on Keller. The look of betrayal was so clear on his face that Keller had to turn away, even though she thought that it was totally unjustified. It wasn't her fault that Galen had issues with Brett. Forgive her for making the practical choice that was going to, hopefully, ensure everyone's survival.

"So tomorrow," Keller said moving on, "we'll leave early in the morning, and we'll have to make sure that Jamie and her family don't say anything that would expose our whereabouts."

"No, they would never," Iliana told her confidently.

"Well they might since they can't really know what's at stake," Keller noted. "So we'll have to think up a good reason for them to keep it under wraps."

Iliana, always the first one to lend a helping hand, offered to take care of that. Keller agreed, hoping that having Iliana busy with that minor aspect would keep the witch child out of her way.

She directed her attention at Winnie. "You'll have to start with Iliana's parents as soon as possible, they need time to pack and prepare," she informed her in a hard, no-nonsense tone. She couldn't have Winnie rebelling at such a crucial time. If intimidation was what it took to get her to follow orders, so be it.

"Yes Boss," Winnie said obediently. Keller breathed a sigh of relief.

"And Nissa," Keller continued, "You'll need to make travel reservations, try to use any powers of persuasion that you have to get them to go along with it."

"This is very last minute," Nissa commented, "I'm assuming you would prefer that they be gone by tomorrow?"

Keller's yes earned her a skeptical look from Nissa.

"I'm not sure its even possi– "

"Just make it happen," Keller demanded, certain that Nissa with her almost infinite abilities would be able to accomplish the task.

"And I can call and ask Jamie's family if we can stay right now," Iliana chimed in, rising from her seat as she spoke.

"Well actually," Keller cut in, "I think that I could do that since I'm…seeing Brett today." She tried to keep herself as composed s possible after she said that, hoping that she had been successful at making it sound like no big deal and definitely not something that people needed to ask follow-up questions about.

After a second of quiet Winnie asked, "Isn't that the guy who you were talking to about the party?"

Keller had to glance at Iliana then. Maybe she was hoping for a little bit of jealousy, which was a stupid desire, but what she certainly didn't see that in Iliana's expression.

Iliana look beyond pleased, in fact, she looked ecstatic. She was giving Keller a sly, conspiratorial look, but it was good natured. She seemed to be thrilled for Keller.

Of course she was probably thinking that what was going on with Keller and Brett was something resembling a romantic relationship which was as far from the truth as possible. Keller wasn't exactly sure what her relationship with Brett was, but it wasn't that.

Keller cleared her throat.

"So I'll ask him then, and I can also ask him to show me the house too, so I can make sure that it's safe," she told them.

Three people said that it sounded like a good plan. One person didn't say anything, but his opinion was pretty much painted on his face.

"But," Keller warned, "the family might say no, and we can't force them to let us stay, and it may turn out that the house isn't even safe enough so we need to be prepared to make changes if it becomes necessary."

They all seemed to deflate a little then and Keller couldn't help but feel like a buzz kill. But they had to face the realities.

"Hopefully though, that wont happen," She added, trying to lift their spirits a little.

That seemed to placate them a bit.

"Ok," Keller said, shaking her head in disbelief at how well everything was falling into place, "if no one has any objections _now_, I think that we have a plan."


	11. Chapter 11

Keller drew in a deep breath, realizing that there was nowhere that she could go to escape the bedlam surrounding her.

After the meeting was adjourned everyone dissipated and began to work feverishly at completing their assigned tasks. And while Keller was extremely grateful for the commitment and dedication that she was seeing, she hadn't realized that carrying out the plan would be so hectic.

Winnie was in the dining room with Iliana's parents attempting to convince them that seeing their distant relative, who lived in some remote town in Iowa and who Iliana's parents had never had even the slightest interest in visiting, was a good idea. They were slightly more resistant than Keller had assumed they would be.

Nissa was pleading with yet another airline company to sell her three tickets. The first five that she had tried had been unresponsive to her various methods of persuasion. She had tried using the "family crisis" line, insinuated that the tickets were for someone of importance, used mild threats, and even resorted to bribery. She didn't seem to be having much luck with this new company.

Iliana was busying herself with getting everything that had any connection to any of her friends out of her room and into boxes that she would take with her to Jaime's house. This was no small task. Every so often Keller heard banging on the floor above her which meant that Iliana had dropped yet another box or knocked something else over in her haste to save her friends from any potential danger.

And Keller was standing in the epicenter of it all.

She felt somewhat helpless as she stood still as stone, listening to raised voices and falling objects. It was agony to be in the midst of chaos and have nothing to do.

She checked the clock for the hundredth time. There were still two more hours of school, which meant that she still had to wait two hours and fifteen or so minutes for Brett.

Maybe she could just ago to the school and convince him to play hooky.

As she pondered this, Nissa walked up to her and shoved a piece of paper in her face.

"Here you go," she said triumphantly. Her eyes were alight with the thrill of victory.

Keller skimmed over the piece of paper in her hands.

"The plane leaves at six thirty tomorrow morning," Nissa said aloud as Keller read.

Keller looked up at Nissa in awe. She had never been more amazed by the vampire.

"This is great," she told her, breaking into a grin.

Nissa smiled back. "You don't want to know what I had to do to get those tickets," she said.

Keller looked at her inquisitively. "Anything illegal?" she asked.

Nissa shook her head quickly. "No, nothing like that," she assured Keller, but as she said it her lips formed a small, mischievous smile.

Keller was going to press her for more information when they heard Winnie shout a spell at Iliana's parents which apparently didn't work because they responded by asking her if she was felling well.

"Oh Godess," Keller groaned.

Nissa nodded. "How long has she been at it?" she asked.

Keller shrugged. "Maybe an hour, they were trying to walk away at one point because they have work and stuff but she practically dove on them and started crying so that they would listen." She shuddered, "If this doesn't work and she doesn't make them forget about this whole thing they're going to start looking for a straightjacket for her."

Nissa laughed a little. "I'm sure that she can handle this," she said.

Keller didn't say anything. Convincing Iliana's parents to leave was supposed to be the easiest part of the plan. They were supposed to bend to Winnie's will without question.

For a moment Keller considered the possibility that Iliana's parents might be stronger than she had given them credit for, but that was unlikely. They probably just really didn't like this relative of theirs.

"She better be able to," Keller muttered.

Nissa gave her a sideways glance. "Are you alright Boss?"

Keller didn't have the energy to pretend that she was fine.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing," she told Nissa. "I'm just going to start criticizing people's inadequacies."

Nissa snorted. "Ah, those pesky inadequacies."

They both stopped speaking and listened to Winnie chanting in the dining room. Keller was taking that and the fact that Iliana's parents were no longer protesting as a good sign.

"Have you checked on Iliana recently?" Nissa whispered.

Keller shook her head. She had no intention of getting involved with Iliana's project.

"I would check to make sure that she hasn't forgotten anything crucial, but I'm pretty sure that she's taken care of it all," she responded.

"Making sure that all of her friends are completely safe?" Nissa guessed.

Keller turned to her and gave her a pointed look. "Its Iliana," she reminded the vampire, "what do you think?"

Nissa nodded.

As they resumed listening to Winnie Keller began to wonder what she would do if Brett refused to let them stay. She had to admit that it was a possibility. Not only would the unrequited love of his life, or his current crush or whatever he thought of Iliana as be there, her sortof fiancé would be there as well. Keller hadn't really thought about how Brett would react to having Galen in his house.

However, Jamie also lived there and she was Iliana's best friend. There was no way that she would turn Iliana and her cousins and her boyfriend away.

Although, Keller _did _attack her that one day in the hall, so Jamie might still be harboring some sort of resentment towards her.

She tried to reassure herself that there was nothing to worry about, that Brett and Jamie and their parents would surely take them in, but thoughts of Galen and Brett together in the same house started to eat away at her confidence. It was clear that they really disliked each other, although Keller wouldn't go so far as to say that they hated each other. How could they when they didn't even know each other? But she couldn't shake the feeling that the rift between them was the result of something more than their mutual desire for Iliana. When they were together it was like every fiber in their beings was compelling them to destroy the other one. To Keller it had looked almost instinctual.

"Hey, Boss," Nissa said nudging Keller with her elbow.

Keller turned to her. Nissa pointed at Iliana, who was standing in the kitchen. Her arms were wrapped around two enormous bags.

"I'm finished," Iliana announced.

Keller thought that the question was unnecessary, but she asked anyway.

"Are you sure that you have everything?"

Iliana nodded emphatically, but after a moments hesitation her eyes became troubled.

"Well, maybe I should go look again," she said, placing her bags on the floor and turning to go back upstairs.

"No, its fine," Keller told her, regretting her question. "I'm sure that you have everything."

Iliana turned back to them. "I just don't want them to find anything," she said in a small voice.

Keller held her gaze. "They won't," she said.

Iliana's fearful expression began to smooth out. She seemed placated.

"Alright," she said. She let out a dainty sigh. "I'm going to go find Galen."

Keller watched Iliana walk out of the kitchen, her face lit up at the prospect of seeing her beloved.

"Well, one project done," she said, trying to be positive.

Nissa opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"What?" Keller asked, sensing that Nissa had something to say that she wasn't sure she should.

"Nothing," Nissa said quickly.

"No, really," Keller insisted.

Nissa looked like she might laugh. "Well, that was just very nice of you is all," she said.

Keller bristled. "What do you mean?"

Nissa chuckled. "It was kind of you to reassure her, and without even insulting her too."

Keller gave her a dirty look. "I just wanted her to stop freaking out," she grumbled. "She was going to sweep that room a million times if she thought that there was even the slightest chance of the Night World finding any of her precious friends."

"Wouldn't you?" Nissa asked.

Keller thought for a moment and realized that Nissa had a point. She would do everything in her power to protect the people she cared about if she perceived them to be in danger.

"Yes," she answered finally.

"Maybe you and Iliana aren't so different in that respect," Nissa mused.

Keller shot her a severely dark look.

"I hardly think that it would be that awful," Nissa said defensively. "I know that you hate her but she really isn't the worst person."

"I don't hate her," Keller snapped. "Why does everyone think that I hate her?"

"I have no idea," Nissa responded, giving her a crooked grin.

Keller wouldn't let up. "Really, why do you think that I hate her?" she pressed.

Nissa sighed, probably contemplating the consequences of answering honestly.

"Well," she began, "the way that you treat her is a bit of an indication, and the things that you say about her, and the way that you roll your eyes almost every time you hear her name."

"That's not hate though," Keller insisted. "It's just…its not hate."

Nissa said nothing but from the look on her face Keller could tell that she wasn't convinced.

_Why does it matter if you hate her_, Keller asked herself. _As long as you don't let your feelings get in the way of you doing your job it doesn't make any difference._

As Keller contemplated this, Winnie burst into the room.

"They're going!" She announced.

Keller and Nissa had to fight to suppress their laughter. Winnie looked like she had just physically battled Iliana's parents. Her hair was in a flurry around her and her shirt was wrinkled. As she walked into the living room she immediately plopped down on the couch, weary from the long, hard fight.

"Where are they now?" Keller asked.

Winnie looked a bit dejected. She probably thought that for what she had accomplished she deserved a huge gold medal.

Regrettably, Keller was short on those.

"They're packing," Winnie informed them. "They'll be ready in no time, and they're actually really excited to see Mitchell now."

"Is that the relative?" Keller asked realizing she still didn't know the name of Iliana's distant cousin, or uncle, or whatever.

Winnie nodded, "Iliana told me his name."

"You and Iliana seem to be sharing a lot lately," Keller retorted, the words spilling out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about them.

Winnie frowned. "She needed to tell me that because I needed to tell her parents exactly who to see," she explained hesitantly.

"You know that it's not just that," Keller said, crossing her arms. She hadn't planned on confronting Winnie about Iliana so soon, but she had already broached the subject. "You and Iliana have become very close lately, and I need to know that your," she smiled at Winnie mockingly, "bond or whatever you want to call it isn't going to get in the way of you doing what you're told to do."

Winnie looked indignant, and a little wounded.

"I have been following orders," she said. "And my _friendship_ with Iliana is not going to affect my ability to do my job."

"It better not," Keller warned.

Winnie sat up abruptly, knocking over a pillow in the process.

"I don't think that I deserve this since I haven't done anything to sabotage this mission," she rebuked.

"No, nothing yet," Keller agreed. "But I can see that you want to side with Iliana, and I can't have you doing that when important decisions are being made."

Winnie scrunched her face. Anger poured out of her. Her hair began to look redder. It gave her the appearance of being on fire.

"She needs someone to stick up for her since you have some sort of vendetta against her," she shouted.

Keller felt the blood drain from her face. She couldn't believe what Winnie had just accused her of.

"No, I do not," she said, feeling an eerie calmness creep over her. "I'll admit that I'm not particularly fond of her, but I have never made any decision without making sure that it's what's best for her and Galen."

Winnie continued to look reproachful.

"You don't think about her when you make your decisions though," she insisted. "You never take her opinions or ideas into consideration at all, you just expect her to go along with whatever you say!"

"If she had any good ideas I would certainly take them into consideration," Keller said, "but her opinions and ideas tend to get in the way of my attempts to keep her alive."

Winnie turned and gave Keller the cold shoulder. Keller found that to be very childish.

"Look Winnie," she said quietly, "I would die for Iliana."

Winnie turned to her, her eyes as bright and fiery as her hair.

"So would I."

Nissa, who had been silent until that point, told whoever was listening that she would die for Iliana as well.

_Godess, do we need to draw straws to see who gets to die for her first_, Keller thought.

"Well then as long as you continue to follow orders and trust that what I'm doing is for the good of, well, all of mankind actually, then we're good," Keller told Winnie. "I just wanted to clear that up."

Winnie stood up and promptly walked out of the room, leaving Keller to congratulate herself for making things that much more complicated.

Probably eager to relieve some of the tension, Nissa joked that Winnie's wrath was more dangerous than that of the entire Night World. Keller couldn't bring herself to laugh.

"Boss," Nissa tried again, "She'll move on, just give her some time."

Keller ran her hand through her thick hair, but it got caught in a mass of snarls. She struggled to extricate it for a few seconds until it finally came free.

When she looked back at Nissa the vampire was attempting to keep a straight face. Seeing Nissa like that made something inside of Keller snap.

"We don't have time!" She shouted. Her hands flew to her head as if to keep it intact. "I can't have this right now, there's just way too much," she mumbled in the direction of the floor.

She heard soft footsteps and then felt a hand on her arm. She was confused but oddly comforted. Stupidly, she imagined that it was Galen, because his touch had a funny way of making even the worst things seem bearable. But that fantasy was quickly ruined when she remembered that Iliana had gone to find Galen, and that the two were probably together that very minute.

When she raised her head she saw that it was Nissa's hand that was resting on her arm, which she supposed made sense because Nissa was the only other person in the room.

Keller gently moved away so that Nissa's hand slipped off of her arm.

"Thanks," she said. "I just…" she trailed off, not wanting to show Nissa how much she was struggling, even though she had the sneaking suspicion that Nissa already knew the extent of her struggles. Though Keller tried, she had a hard time hiding it when she was around Nissa. Maybe she just trusted her a little more than the others.

Nissa waved her hand to show that Keller didn't need to explain. Keller felt her gratitude for Nissa grow exponentially.

"It's alright Boss," Nissa said reassuringly. "It'll all work out."

Keller nodded absently, hoping to the Godess that Nissa was right.

After that, Keller let herself be absorbed by the chaos once more. She waited impatiently, constantly checking the clock. After an hour of watching the hands move excruciatingly slowly, Keller began to feel the time had ceased to progress.

Eventually the designated time rolled around, and Keller rejoiced at finally being able to contribute to the plan.

She rushed to door the moment that she heard Brett's car pull into the driveway. As she flew down the hall she tried to tell herself that she was merely excited at the prospect of getting out of the house and away from certain people, but as she tugged at the handle and whipped the door open she couldn't ignore the way her stomach flipped at the sight of Brett reclining in the drivers seat of his spectacular car.

Maybe her excitement might have had a little to do with him.

She slowed her pace as made her way down the front steps. Even if she was somewhat happy to see Brett she didn't want _him_ to know.

Brett ushered her into the car with a lazy gesture. He eyed her beneath heavy lids.

"You look much better," he informed her.

Keller stopped dead in her tracks. The small smile that had been threatening to form on her face evaporated.

"Why thank you," she said sarcastically, throwing him a dirty look.

Brett smirked at her. "What I meant was that you looked a bit disgruntled this morning and now you look," he paused and grinned wickedly, "less disgruntled."

Keller was about to toss some sort of rejoinder at him but a thought silenced her. She had to be on her best behavior around him if she was going to have any chance of persuading him to let her use his house as a temporary hideaway until the ceremony. She had to make sure that this was the one time that she didn't find a way to anger him. She suspected that this would be difficult.

It was just that he got mad so easily, and he made it so easy for other people to get mad at him. He was so volatile, and even though Keller had no evidence that his mood wasn't just a side effect of his medication, she had a feeling that there was something else behind it. She also had the sense that he couldn't control it.

"Well…" she said, realizing that she had taken a long time to respond. He probably thought that she was an imbecile.

And now she had to try to think of something to say that was pleasant, but not something so pleasant that he would become suspicious.

"Keller, are you alright?" Brett asked, cutting into her thoughts with a semi-concerned voice.

Too late.

"Ya," she said quickly, waving her hand as if trying to brush away his concerns. Her mind raced feverishly to find something to say.

"You seem a little disoriented," Brett observed. "Do you want to sit down?"

Keller nodded and hopped into the car. Brett put his hand out to steady her, but she deftly avoided it.

"Are you sure you're not going to faint or anything?" he asked warily.

Keller snorted. As if she'd do something so dainty.

"No," she assured him mockingly. "It's just that your presence is so overwhelming." She gave him a crooked smile, hoping that he would be satisfied.

He stared at her. "You're really strange," he said after awhile.

He shook his head as he started the engine. It roared to life and moments later they were speeding off.

Brett continued to glance intermittently at Keller as they cruised down the now busy road.

"You're quiet," he said. It sounded like an accusation.

"Oh, well," she tried to summon up a decent response, "I'm tired."

Brett nodded and focused on the road ahead of them.

"Well, as you tend to yell at me and jump out of things when you're awake, this might be a nice change," he said.

Keller felt her lips twitch. It made her sad to have to suppress the myriad of insults that she had conjured up. She was itching to just let one slip.

Brett seemed to notice her internal struggle.

"You're really alright?" he asked finally.

Keller wanted to laugh, scream, and smack him all at once. He was making it so damn hard for her to just be pleasant. It was like he was suspicious of her when she _wasn't_ yelling at him or jumping out of his car.

"Yes I am absolutely fine," she snapped at him.

He grinned in response. He seemed relieved.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked smugly.

Keller groaned. Apparently an explanation was the only thing that was going to silence him.

"It's just," she began, but stopped short. A perfectly believable lie was on the tip of her tongue but for some reason she didn't really feel like lying to Brett. And as she thought about it, she realized that she could tell him a sort if half truth and it would be just as good.

"Its just that when you said that I looked disgruntled this morning, that was sort of true and I was just…thinking about that I guess," she told him.

She was surprised, and extremely relieved, when Brett didn't ask why she was disgruntled.

She was more surprised by the look on his face when she told him. His expression had gone from placid to a combination darkness and bitterness and hopefulness. The mixture was shocking.

However the look was fleeting and moments later Brett was grinning again, though it took a second before the grin reached his eyes.

"I guess that makes sense," he said. "You don't seem like someone who can stand a family like Iliana's for too long before some kind of unpleasant fate befalls you."

Keller gave him a pointed look. "Living with that family is an unpleasant fate."

Brett looked back at her and chuckled. "I'm afraid that most people would disagree with you," he said.

"No I don't think so," Keller mused, "because eventually they would realize that it's all fake and ridiculous."

"You really think that it's all fake?" Brett asked, sounding intrigued.

"Of course it is," Keller said assuredly. She had no doubt in her mind that Iliana's family was just putting on an elaborate play for the rest of the world to admire and envy. Whether or not they had gotten too wrapped up in it to recognize that it was fake, Keller didn't know. She had just seen too much evil to believe that any family could be so…good.

"Somehow I don't think that Iliana's personality is just a façade," Brett said.

Suddenly Keller felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She should have checked herself before she sounded off about Iliana and her family. Here she was bashing Brett's unrequited love or whatever and her family and she hadn't even considered that it might be offensive to him.

She also hadn't considered that it might be deleterious to her cause.

"Is something wrong or are you just boiling with rage?" Brett inquired mildly.

Keller turned to him and tried to somehow drain the color from her cheeks.

"No," she said calmly. "I just thought, I'm sorry if that was mean."

She waited for him to say that it was fine but to refrain from making those remarks about Iliana but instead Brett said, "No, its fine, it's the resentment of happy people resurfacing." He smiled infuriatingly at her. "I expect it now."

Be calm. Think about the plan. You can't get mad. You can't get mad. Be _calm_.

These thoughts did nothing to quench the fire that had rekindled in Keller. Every fiber in her being was yearning to lash out at Brett. Was he really stupid enough to bring up the exact thing that had made her fling herself out of his car the day before? It was like he was deliberately trying to get a rise out of her.

Oh enough. She couldn't keep up the charade.

"You know what Brett," she said in dangerously calm voice, "I think that you accuse me of resenting people because you're trying to project your feelings on me."

There. It wasn't really an insult but it made her feel much better.

Brett looked ponderous, not wounded. This bothered Keller.

"You think that I resent happy people so I'm trying to convince myself that you do too?" he clarified. He didn't wait for Keller to respond before he said. "Well, I don't resent happy people, but I'll admit that I envy them."

Keller was silent. His honesty was surprising. It had caught her off guard.

And it also made her intensely curious.

"Why are you unhappy?" she asked in a matter of fact way.

Brett let out a dark laugh. His deep blue eyes flashed.

"Keller there's a lot about me that you don't know," he said bitterly.

Keller had an impulse to laugh, it sounded so cliché, like a line to make himself seem mysterious and troubled.

But, on second thought, he had a point. She barely knew him as it was, and she had suspected for some time that he had some sort of inner turmoil. She decided not to mock him and waited for him to explain.

When he didn't she asked, "And this stuff that I don't know, it prevents you from being happy?"

Brett smirked in an unpleasant way.

"I'm fairly sure that it is not my destiny to be happy. Happiness is irrelevant," he told her.

Keller couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What, you've never even experienced momentary happiness," she scoffed.

Brett turned his frown on her, and Keller found that it was more unnerving than she had imagined.

Brett let go of the steering wheel, which was fine since they were at a red light, and ran his hands through his hair.

"I guess I have…conflicting ideas about what happiness is and what brings it about," he explained.

Keller continued to look at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't.

"So decide," Keller said simply. "Which one makes you feel…better?"

Brett let out a breath. Self depreciation colored the twisted smile on his face.

"What I mean," he began, then stopped and stared at her. His penetrating eyes were filled with questions that he didn't seem to want to ask even though they were of the utmost importance. Keller wanted to tell him to ask her, just so that he wouldn't have to look so torn and conflicted.

He turned back to the road and shook his head slowly.

"I mean that I don't think that my purpose in life is to seek happiness," he said at last.

Keller let his words sink in.

She wanted to refute his statement, but how could she when she felt the same way? She had given her life to fighting the Night World and defending Circle Daybreak and while it gave her fulfillment it didn't necessarily make her happy. For her happiness was irrelevant too.

But Brett was a normal human teenager. He should be able to look at life and see promise and opportunity. Not the darkness that surrounded Keller every day.

She wanted him to be happy, maybe almost in a selfish way. She felt a kinship with him, this human boy. He was unhappy and alone, and so was she. She wanted him to find happiness because he might actually have a chance at it, and she had a sinking feeling that happiness wasn't something that was ever going to happen for her. She wanted him to be happy for the both of them.

At that moment she vowed to fight the Night World with everything that she had, so that Brett would never have to be burdened with more troubles than he had right then.

"What do you think that your purpose is?" she asked quietly.

Brett just stared at the windshield somberly, but out of the corner of her eye Keller saw that his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.

He muttered something that was almost inaudible even to Keller. She couldn't quite make out the words, but it had almost sounded like "rule and destroy".

But that didn't make any sense, she told herself. He could have said any number of things.

The words hadn't disturbed her. What had disturbed her was how soft his voice had been. Even human whispers were easy for Keller to hear. Humans usually only lowered their voices enough so that other humans wouldn't hear them, but they never considered that _others_ might hear. Brett had made his voice so quiet that if Keller hadn't been listening intently she would have completely missed that he said anything at all, let alone make out his words. She felt a wave of paranoia sweep through her as she wondered how he knew to lower his voice that much.

What if he knew what she was?

_Don't be ridiculous_, the voice of reason chided her. _He's probably ashamed or embarrassed or just doesn't want to talk about it. This is not evidence that he has any idea of what you are_.

Keller shook off the paranoia.

"I don't think that anyone is destined to be happy," she said firmly.

Brett looked at her skeptically. "Iliana?" was all he said.

Keller shook her head. "No. Iliana wasn't destined to be happy. But she does things that make her happy. People find their own happiness, if that's what they want."

Brett's expression didn't change, in fact he looked almost pitying, as if she were some naïve child who was unaware of the harsh ways of the world.

Keller cursed mentally and wished that she was better at articulating her ideas. She hadn't really made a very convincing point. And she really wanted to convince Brett. As she looked into his hopeless eyes she found that she wanted nothing more than to drive the hopelessness away. For a moment she doubted that it was even possible for him to ever be happy.

But she really wanted it to be possible for him.

An idea struck her. She grinned, which probably seemed very out of place to Brett.

"Well, since the universe has dictated that you should be perpetually unhappy, why don't we stick it to destiny and go try to," she paused and furrowed her brows, "have fun?"

It felt very strange to say the sentence. The last word felt completely foreign to her.

But somehow it worked. Brett smiled in a way that made Keller sure that the boy that she had met that day with Iliana was an entirely different person from the one that she was with. There was no way that the Brett from that day and the Brett sitting next to her were the same.

"That was difficult for you wasn't it?" he teased.

Keller frowned at him.

Brett held up his hands in surrender. "Ok, let's try it," he said, and gunned the engine.


	12. Chapter 12

"You don't find it frightening?"

Keller laughed and turned her face towards an incredulous looking Brett.

"No, I don't," she said. "In fact I think it's exceedingly odd that you do."

Brett assumed a look that was half-amused, half-defensive.

"You're essentially being impaled," he cried, "and people act like it's totally normal."

"No you're not," Keller retorted, chuckling. "Anyway it's so quick I bet you barely even feel it."

Brett shook his head disbelievingly. He brought his hand up to his ear and grabbed his earlobe. The cherry red skin turned white as pressure was applied to it.

"This I understand," he said solemnly. Then his hand moved over his bellybutton. He thrust a finger at it. "This I think is borderline torture."

Keller sat up and reached back to brush grass out of her hair, then slapped the ground in mock-resolve. "Well then I think that we'll just have to wrap up this picnic and go get you a piercing so you can overcome your irrational fear," she declared.

Brett grinned and made a rather rude gesture at her. "I think not. Anyway, let's not ruin this strangely pleasant afternoon."

"Have it your way then," Keller said, feigning disappointment.

Brett was right though, it had been a good afternoon, and Keller had no desire to end it.

Unbeknownst to her, Brett had actually formulated a plan before he came to the house. He had packed a sizable snack, which he had surreptitiously stashed in the trunk of his car and had immediately revealed it after Keller expressed hunger. He had taken her to a little park surrounded by trees and houses, which Keller recognized almost instantly as the park that she had landed in after making her daring escape from the confines of Brett's car. She took his choice of location as a gesture of forgiveness. It also made her sure that Brett wasn't wholly without humor.

At first, it had been awkward, just talking to Brett without a pressing matter weighing on her mind. She had wondered what they could possibly talk about, what they would say without stress or pain dictating their speech. It seemed to her that the majority of their conversations had been driven by those two emotions.

Despite her anxiety, she found that it was easy to talk to Brett once they had fallen into conversation. In fact, it wasn't just easy, it was fun in a way. She enjoyed listening to his opinions, and frequently arguing with him about them, and occasionally marveling when she agreed with them. She liked feeling as if she was being given the unique opportunity to better understand him. She got the impression that not many people were given the chance. What was even more satisfying was that the more she learned the more interested she became.

"But if I ever do get a piercing," Brett began, bringing Keller out of her reverie, "you're getting one with me so you can experience the pain that you refuse to acknowledge."

"Fine with me," Keller said pleasantly, but thoughts about the impossibility of this scenario made her smile falter. She pushed the thoughts away.

A group of young children frolicked around the soccer field a few yards from where they were sitting. Their voices rang out in a chorus of screams and giggles. Keller had always found children's mirthful laughter piecing and irritating. She assumed that this aversion was the result of her keen hearing, but sometimes she considered that it might be because it was so foreign to her. She could not remember ever having laughed merrily as a child.

"Are you about to attack those kids, because if you are it would be nice to know," Brett asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Keller snorted. "So you can what, restrain me?" She inquired skeptically. The mental image of Brett attempting to hold back a panther was amusing.

Brett shook his head. "No, I'd just like to be able to get away in time before anyone accuses me of being your accomplice in the park massacre," he corrected.

"I wasn't planning on attacking anyone," Keller snapped. Hearing the word massacre sent a cold shiver running down her spine. Instantly images of helpless humans running from the cruel armies of the Night World filled her head. She could only quell her fears by reminding herself that Winnie could put wards on the houses. Had they decided to do that? When she returned she would insist that it be done.

Brett raised his hands in a mock-peace offering, but his face was clouded. Keller mentally cursed herself for losing her temper. She still had to make sure that Brett would consent to letting them stay at his house, and even if he was used to it she still doubted that snapping at him would help her cause.

"Sorry," she said stiffly, "I just…" she searched for the right way to explain, but all she came up with was, "don't like kids that much."

Brett looked almost delighted by this response. "Why?" he asked, his eyes alight with wicked curiosity.

Keller let out a sigh. If she listed off her reasons to Brett, it would paint her as even more of a cynic. She also had the feeling that he would try to debate her reasons with her, and she wasn't quite up for that.

"I guess I just don't see eye to eye with them," she said simply.

"Well that might be because you're a good deal taller than most of them," Brett pointed out, his tone serious.

Keller gave him a sidelong look. "Hilarious," she said flatly.

Brett turned to observe the children, who were now sitting in a semi-circle, industriously pulling up chunks of grass, and putting them into a collective pile. Keller couldn't understand how their simple activity could warrant the wrapped looks on their faces. She chalked it up to youth, which just made every experience more exciting.

"My childhood was nothing like that," he mused.

"You never uprooted grass?"

Instead of tossing back a rejoinder, Brett continued to gaze at the children and said, "They're just so…carefree. Almost purposeless," he added, a pensive look smoothing the features of his face. "I can't remember ever just passing a day away in aimless fun."

Once again, Brett had nonchalantly tossed out a comment that made Keller reel. She tried to picture Brett as a child, and her mind instantly conjured up an image of a happy, laughing boy. Then she tried to imagine Brett as a somber looking child, head bent, studiously trying to accomplish some important, meaningful task. The idea just didn't seem to fit, and she found the image almost comical. Not that she couldn't imagine those qualities in a child. It was just that _Brett _didn't seem like he would have been that kind of child.

Instead of empathizing with Brett, Keller began to feel gnawing resentment building up in her gut. She thought about her childhood; spending her days focusing intently on her training, perfecting her abilities, dreading the nights when she would have nothing to distract herself with, those bleak hours when doubt and misery were her sole companions. How could Brett sit there with his dark, wistful eyes, as if his childhood experiences warranted her sympathy?

"That's an angst-ridden statement," Keller said, a discernable edge in her voice.

Brett whipped his head around. "You don't believe me?" he demanded. Obviously, Keller's tone hadn't gone unnoticed.

Keller shrugged. "Don't you think that you might be exaggerating a little?" she asked patronizingly, staring at him with mild contempt.

Brett sneered at her. "Forget it," he snapped. He dug his heel into the ground, twisting it around until it had made a sizable dent in the packed earth. Keller got the sense that he was imagining that the ground was her face.

Seeing him this angry made Keller regret dismissing his words so quickly. This didn't seem like a reaction to being called out on a lie. Suddenly she wondered if he had been hurt by her transparent doubt. Perhaps she shouldn't have assumed anything about his childhood. It was difficult to get the picture of the smiling boy out of her head, but then again, she knew almost nothing about Brett's past. They hadn't touched upon that subject yet.

Keller let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to sound as gentle and apologetic as she could. When Brett didn't respond she asked, "What was it like for you as a kid"?

Brett stopped rotating his heel and stared fixedly at the ground. "Keller," he began, his voice tight with hesitation.

"Brett, it was unfair of me to say that," she insisted, real contrition seeping into her voice. "I really want to know though, if you want to tell me."

Brett raked a hand through his chestnut locks. "All I really meant was that I always knew my purpose in life, even when I was young," he amended.

"What was your purpose exactly?" Keller asked.

Brett narrowed his eyes and began to trace a pattern in the dirt by his feet. "Let's just say that my family has a very specific plan for my future, and to deviate from that plan would be…unwise," he finished.

Keller stiffened. Brett's tone was frighteningly resigned. It was clear that he had no desire to adhere to his family's plan for him, yet nothing in his voice gave her the impression that he might try to rebel or even attempt to plot his own life course. It was as if he had consigned his fate to his parents completely.

Suddenly Keller remembered something that she heard about once, a human crime organization, what was it called?

`"Brett, is your family in the mob?" She asked abruptly.

Brett, most likely surprised by her question, stared at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then let out a bark of laughter.

"You might say that," he said jokingly, though his eyes were sharp. "No," he admitted, "they're just the paradigm of the American dream."

"Ah," Keller responded. She watched Brett as he repeatedly traced the surprisingly intricate design. She wondered if it was original or if he had seen it somewhere before.

"How dire would the consequences be if you were to deviate from the plan?" She asked.

"Dire enough," Brett said. He stopped tracing the design. "And it wouldn't just be that," he continued in a rushed voice, "I would have to severe my ties with them completely if I were to do something on my own, and they're, well, they've always been there." He stopped, wrapped an arm around his legs, bent lower, and resumed tracing.

Keller's eyes remained fixed on Brett for a while, and she was about to remind him that at the very least he had his incredibly kind sister, when a small creature scurried past them, snatching a stray chip.

Once the creature had scrambled up a tree with its stolen feast, it stopped long enough for Keller to see that it was a small squirrel. She smiled as it nibbled at the chip, its teeth working furiously.

"Now if you're going to try to attack that squirrel, that's something I _absolutely_, want to stick around for," Brett said, sounding amused.

Keller laughed, glad that Brett had rebounded from his sullen mood. "I would never attack a squirrel" She assured him. "I find them fascinating."

Brett's eyes widened. "What could be fascinating about a squirrel?" He demanded.

Keller thought about this. "They're resilient," She offered, remembering a time when she had tried to catch one. She found that as a panther, she was sometimes subject to almost irresistible urges, such as the urge to chase small animals. She hadn't been able to catch the squirrel, it had slipped past her. Since then she had no longer thought of squirrels as weak, but as capable creatures that were just uninterested in fighting. She liked those animals, the ones that were not imperious but could also defend themselves if need be. She often felt like Circle Daybreak was very much like a squirrel.

Well, maybe not so much, but there were similarities.

Brett nodded, though he didn't look at all convinced. "I just can't believe that out of all animals, you choose to be fascinated by squirrels," he said.

"Well what's your favorite animal?" She asked defensively.

Brett looked at her incredulously, "Squirrels are your _favorite_ animal?"

"I never said that squirrels were my favorite animal, I just asked what yours was," Keller retorted. She wished that for once Brett could just answer her question, especially since this one was somewhat important to her. She felt that she could tell a lot about someone's personality by his or her favorite animal. It was probably a shape shifter thing.

Brett watched the squirrel a while more before he said, "I'm especially fond of hawks."

"Why?"

"They eat squirrels," Brett said, laughing as he watched Keller's mouth harden.

"Fine," Keller said heatedly, her disappointment obvious, albeit childish.

"I don't really have a favorite animal," Brett admitted, trying to appease Keller. "I actually like quite a few of them, all of them really." Immediately after saying this, he grimaced. He looked at her as one looks after revealing a childhood secret, vulnerable and slightly embarrassed.

It made sense somehow, Keller mused, that Brett wasn't partial to just one animal. He had qualities about him that she had seen in many different shape shifters whose animal forms had ranged between a mouse and a cheetah.

And with the thought of shape shifters, Keller was brought back to the attack. She looked over at Brett, who had resumed tracing his design. Maybe now would be the right time for a visit to his house. She felt guilt creep in as she thought about everyone back at Iliana's house, diligently preparing. She had stepped out of the looming shadow of the attack for too long. She didn't have time to pretend that everything was alright.

"Hey," she said, as lightly as she could, "it's getting cold."

"Oh, I didn't really notice," he said. He started to shrug off his coat, and looked at her questioningly.

"Um," Keller started, unsure of how to proceed, "I was thinking maybe we could go to your house or something." Was that too forward? Should she have gradually introduced the idea instead of abruptly throwing it out?

Keller didn't take Brett's silence as a good sign. She began to wonder what she could possibly say to persuade him. Maybe if she brought Iliana over as well, that might make him more apt to allow them entry.

How she was going to convince Galen to let Iliana go to Brett's house though, she had no idea.

As she contemplated the consequences of simply not telling Galen and having Iliana lie to him in order to sneak out, Brett asked, "Why there?" Suspicion sharpened his tone.

"Iliana was talking about your house and it sounds incredible," she explained, trying to seem enthusiastic.

Brett narrowed his eyes. "I doubt that it would impress the daughter of a Hollywood producer," he said. It sounded more like an accusation than a jest.

Keller was genuinely baffled. There didn't seem to be any justifiable reason for Brett to sound so suspicious. She could understand his not wanting to bring her home because they had only met yesterday. She could also understand him being a little put off by her very forward suggestion. She would not however have anticipatedthis reaction.

The wind picked up, and Keller, despite being completely comfortable, shivered and wrapped her arms around her shoulders for effect. Perhaps she could guilt Brett into bringing her to his house.

"How about a brief tour?" she pressed. "We don't have to stay." She wondered if adopting a flirtier tone would help her or just serve to make her seem foolish. Would widening her eyes they way Iliana always did sway him?

"Its most remarkable quality is its size," Brett mumbled, digging furiously into the dirt.

"Brett," Keller began tentatively, "is there a reason you don't want me at your house?"

He threw his head back in exasperation and gazed darkly at the grey sky, which, when they arrived at the park, had been bright and cloudless. The sun was now hidden behind a mass of heavy clouds and the chill it left behind in its absence would surely have chased any human back into his or her home. Keller was grateful for the turn in weather, it made her request seem more reasonable.

It appeared that Brett didn't want to be reasonable.

"Why?" he asked again, sounding more distressed than angry. He was looking at her, his eyes darkening as he regarded her. Why did he seem so distrustful?

Keller couldn't think of another option. She was running out of time, and she had to convince him. She couldn't return to Iliana's house without completing this simple task. Even though every fiber of her being was screaming for her to lie through her teeth or even threaten Brett if need be, she knew that the only way that he would consider bringing her to his home was if she admitted her real reason. Well, part of the real reason at least.

She took a breath and told herself to stay calm. The last thing she wanted to do was alarm him. She had to seem indifferent, and not give the impression that five people's lives would be significantly affected by his decision.

"It's just that Iliana's parents are going out of town, sort of a last minute vacation," she explained slowly, careful not to let any agitation or anxiety creep into her voice, "and Iliana thought that, as we all need somewhere to stay while they're gone, we could stay with your sister and your family."

It wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought it would be. In fact, it sounded completely normal. Why shouldn't Iliana ask to stay at her best friend's enormous house while her parents were out of town, even if she was bringing four additional guests?

Brett looked at her skeptically, although some of the doubt had started to drain out of his expression. "You really just want a place to stay?"

"Yes," Keller said, a bit annoyed that he was still questioning her reasons.

After a moment of hesitance, Brett smiled in a way that made Keller's lips twitch upwards reflexively. He looked as thought he weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Well you should have just said that before," he said brightly, his countenance instantly changing from sullen to ecstatic. Keller imagined that he was probably thrilled at the prospect of Iliana staying at his house for an indefinite number of days. A spark of ill will made her want to remind him that Galen would be there as well. Of course saying such a counterproductive thing at such a crucial moment would be unwise. And why should she be angry with Brett for being so obviously excited? If anything, she should pity him for holding on to some vain hope that Iliana would ever transfer her affections from Galen to him.

She put those thoughts aside. "You don't think that your parents would mind having six house guests?" She asked.

Brett shook his head. "We have at least four spare rooms," he said, then he added, "and my parents wont actually be there."

Perfect, Keller thought. The fewer people the better. She thought about what would need to be done to prepare for the attack and the solstice ceremony, and was relieved to think that the absence of Brett's parents would lessen her chances of having to explain her way out of some peculiar and baffling situations should she and her team be caught doing anything unnatural.

"Well, do you think we can go see it?" Keller asked for what she hoped would be the last time.

Brett nodded and started to rise. "Sure, but just a quick tour, and why do you need to see it anyway?" he asked. "Do you have to make sure it's up to your standards?"

"It would just be nice to see where we'll be staying," Keller said, ignoring Brett's jibe.

Together the picked up the remnants of the picnic and loaded everything into Brett's car. Keller watched Brett carefully, curious as to what was really behind his sudden change in mood. It made sense that thoughts of Iliana being under his roof would lift his spirits, but had he completely forgotten about Galen? She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else behind his happiness.

"Don't blame me if you're not overwhelmed," Brett said as Keller slid into the seat beside him.

Keller gave him a sideways look. "I'll try to suppress my disappointment," she promised.

Brett started towards the ignition but paused just as he began to slide in the key. He stayed in that position for a number of seconds before he said, "Open the glove compartment and take out the thing wrapped in paper."

Keller, mystified, reached forward and did as he asked. The object he referred to was at the top of a pile of important looking documents and a few packs of gum. It was enveloped in pale lavender tissue paper and was thin except for a bulge at one end. She removed it carefully and looked at Brett for further instruction.

Brett looked amused. "Open in," he said, as if it should have been obvious.

Keller peeled back the fragile paper and was shocked, and slightly unnerved, to find that it concealed a black rose. She stared at it uncomprehendingly.

"Um, why do you have this?" she asked.

"I felt bad for that comment I made about your appearance this morning," he said lightly, "and so when I saw the roses next to the place I got the food, I figured it would make a good 'forgive me' gift."

Keller smiled slightly, still in a confused daze. "I forgive you," she said. "So you can stop feeling guilty about it now, if you actually were before."

"Yes I was wracked with guilt," he said. He gestured towards the rose. "And I know that they don't usually come in that color, and it looks a bit, well, creepy," he admitted, "but since you wear black so much, I figured that you liked the color." He gave her a crooked smile.

Keller turned it around, examining it. The soft black petals drooped slightly, as if the color was heavy.

"Did it come black?" She asked.

"No, I dipped it in paint," Brett said, finally turning the key and bringing the engine to life.

As they sped down the rode Keller held tightly to the rose. She didn't even bother to ask Brett if he had bought paint just for this occasion. She was more interested in the strange beauty that the black rose emitted. It wasn't conventional to be sure, but there was something captivating about it. She softly touched a petal with the tip of her finger. The dried paint made it less velvety, but it was still pleasant. It made it seem hardier, less delicate.

"Thank You."


	13. Chapter 13

Keller was not often awestruck, but as Brett drove his car around the semi-circle gravel driveway to the front of his house, Keller had to struggle to keep up her appearance as the jaded daughter of a producer. Her jaw slackened and her eyes went as wide as saucers, but only for a moment before she resumed a look of indifferent composure. Even so, she feared that Brett was able to sense her amazement anyway.

Luckily for Keller, she had a mission to complete otherwise she might have spent far too long ogling the grand, immaculately kept house. She was able to suppress some of her wonder when she remembered that the house would only be useful to her if it served the proper functions.

Despite her resolve to focus on her task, she couldn't help noticing things that were completely unrelated to the mission as Brett led her through the many hallways. She listened intently to the way that their steps echoed almost musically. She watched her reflection in the gleaming floor, and gazed at the brilliant light streaming in through the glittering windows.

As they moved throughout the house, she was struck by the cleanliness of the place. It looked almost untouched, unlived in. Whenever they passed a flat surface such as a table or a counter where one could usually find detritus strewn about, she saw only decorations. She didn't see anything that would suggest that people had occupied the house in some time. There were no dishes in the kitchen, no drinks or food or even any packaging left behind. When he showed her the living area, it was as neat and spruced up as the rest of the house, even though it was clearly meant for the twins personal use. Maybe they had cleaning people who worked tirelessly to maintain this image of perfection. Keller couldn't imagine that the family was naturally that neat.

Brett moved quickly through the halls, sometimes gently pulling Keller along if she stopped to look at anything. Keller wondered if he might be tired of giving tours. She could imagine that he was frequently made to play the role of tour guide. Or perhaps his reluctance to linger too long was a sign of his modesty. Maybe he didn't want to seem as though he took pride in showing off his huge house to people.

Overall, the house was perfect. It was secure, yet there were still a decent number of escape routes. Keller hoped that they wouldn't have to make use of those. She was so relieved that she couldn't bring herself to resent the fact that it had been Iliana who had found them this place.

"So will it do?" Brett asked, squinting at her in the bright sun as they walked out of the stately oak doors.

Keller pretended to pout. "It's not what I'm used to but I think that I'll manage," she said, her pout becoming as smile as she listened to Brett's chuckling.

The car rolled away, the gravel crunching merrily beneath the tires. Keller took one last look at the house before they sped off down the road.

"So we would probably have to start imposing on your hospitality tonight," she informed him.

Brett's eyes narrowed. He pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. Seconds later, it flopped back onto his face and resumed dancing in the wind.

"So when you say we, does that include Galen?" He asked.

"Yes," Keller said, surprised that it had taken Brett this long to mention it, "he would be with us."

Brett drummed his fingers against the wheel. "And what if I said that the invitation was only for Iliana and her delightful cousins?" He queried.

Keller's gut clenched. They had no other options if this didn't fall through, and there was no way that Iliana would go anywhere if Galen wasn't welcome. If she even knew that Brett was loath to let Galen come, she would probably suggest that they find shelter elsewhere.

"Then we would have to find somewhere else," she said stiffly.

Brett sighed, but he gave her a crooked smile. "I figured that you would say that," he said. "Don't worry, I'll let him stay. Although," he continued, pointing his finger at her warningly, "if he tries to kill me during the night I might have to insist that you find a hotel."

Keller laughed at first, but as she thought of how furious Galen had looked this morning Brett's comment started to seem less humorous. She knew that Galen was far too gentle to ever consider harming another living creature, but something about the way that he had looked at Brett before told her that he wouldn't agree that Brett fit into that category. Galen seemed to see Brett as something else entirely.

She shuddered to think of the two of them in the same house together. She would have to have everyone make a concerted effort to keep them apart.

She noticed that Brett kept looking over at her. His eyes were unreadable but his expression seemed to indicate that there was something weighing on his mind.

"What?" Keller demanded.

"I was just wondering what it was that you saw in him," he answered her, unabashed.

Keller blanched. She couldn't believe that after what they had shared about their unrequited affections he would actually ask something so personal. He must have known that bringing up Galen would hurt her, or at the very least make her uncomfortable. Throughout the afternoon, she had actually tried to steer the topic away from anything that might remind him of Iliana. She had assumed that he would show her the same respect.

"I'm not going to answer that," Keller said stonily, turning to look at the row of houses passing by so that she could conceal her reddening face.

Brett was unshaken by her cold reply. "I can understand that there are things about him which are certainly appealing," he admitted. "He has looks and if he's with Iliana obviously he's as good a person as Mother Theresa, but is that really what made you like him?"

Keller couldn't help but find a dark humor in this whole situation. She was suddenly in the same position as she was in yesterday. Her fingers almost itched to grab the door handle and make her escape.

How could he ask her this? Keller felt somewhat wounded, as if he had betrayed her confidence.

"Shut up," she said through clenched teeth.

"It's just, those are good qualities, but the selflessness and kindness seem more suited for someone like Iliana than they do for you," Brett went on, relentless. "I mean," he said, laughing incredulously, "did it ever even occur to you how strange it is that you and Iliana would be attracted to the same type of person?"

Keller was seething. She couldn't understand how Brett was unaffected by all the waves of hatred and anger pouring out of her, all of them directed towards him.

Why should he think that Galen would be a more suitable match for Iliana just because of his kindness and selflessness? Was her personality incompatible with those qualities? Brett just didn't know him the way that she did. Hell, he had barely ever spoken to him; they had just glared at each other. Of course he wouldn't understand that there was much more to Galen than he or even Iliana could see.

She cringed as the last thought streaked across her mind, leaving behind a glaring pain. She had to stop deluding herself. Galen had made a choice. Even if Iliana didn't see all that there was to him, he had still picked her over Keller.

The shame brought on by that last thought made Keller hate Brett even more.

She whipped her head around and stared at Brett with eyes like broken glass.

"How far away are we from Iliana's house?" she asked. She had to fight to keep her speech steady; her breaths were coming in short angry bursts.

Brett sighed and gave her an amused look. "I'm not going to slow down this time, so if you're planning on jumping it's going to be considerably more difficult," he said calmly.

"Is this some misguided attempt to help me get over Galen?" Keller demanded, unable to quell her morbid curiosity as to what could have made Brett ask such an incendiary question.

Brett looked out the windshield pensively. "Sure," he said. "Mostly though, I was just wondering what it was that actually attracted you to him."

"A lot of things," Keller snapped. "You don't know him."

"No I don't," Brett said. "It's just that I think, from how you've described him and from what I can infer, he's probably better with Iliana," he explained. "And you even said yourself that they were perfect for each other," he reminded her.

"Yes, I did, but, I, I mean," Keller stammered, "in a way they are but not…" she couldn't think of how to explain it. Maybe there was no explanation. "But even if they are perfect for one another, it doesn't mean that I can just move on knowing that," she said.

"But the fact that they are perfect for each other, that should make you think," Brett insisted. "I mean, how could someone whose perfect for Iliana really be good for you?"

Keller was reeling. Brett had a gift for making her feel as though she had been repeatedly bludgeoned, which was no small feat. In a way she was fascinated by the effect that some of his statements had on her, but a larger part of her was unnerved by the power of his words. Even if she didn't agree with him, his words had the undeniable ability to root deeply in her mind.

This time though, she didn't want to think about it, didn't want to decide whether or not she agreed with him. She couldn't analyze her relationship with Galen, not now. What was the point? He was gone and she would just have to move on in her own time. Or not.

"What about you?" She asked, trying to distract herself. "What about Iliana attracts you?"

Brett was quiet for a moment, and Keller began to think that he wasn't going to answer. The hypocritical bastar-

"Not much, anymore," Brett said finally, his grip on the wheel tightening as they rounded a corner.

Keller waited for him to go on, but he seemed to think that his terse answer sufficed.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"Exactly what I said, I'm not really all that attracted to her anymore," he told Keller patiently.

Keller wasn't sure if she wanted to call Brett out on a blatant lie or congratulate him on his ability to move on so quickly.

"How?" she asked simply.

"I've known Iliana for long time," he said, "and I have never seen her look at anyone the way she looked at Galen yesterday. And I don't know Galen very well but I can tell that we're nothing alike, so I started thinking that if he's the person she chose, we probably wouldn't have been very good together."

Keller was struck by the honesty in his voice. She was also amazed at how indifferent he sounded, as if the girl that he had been pinning for suddenly meant nothing to him. She couldn't shake the feeling that Brett was somehow lying.

"This morning one of the reasons you said that you wanted me to come with you was so we could," she raised her hands to make air quotes with her fingers, "'comfort each other'," she reminded him. "Did this development take place during school because that seems like an awfully short amount of time to get over someone to whom you were so attached."

Brett leaned towards her and gave her a small, wicked smile. "Well, about that, I think I might have used that to give you more incentive to come," he admitted, his voice devoid of embarrassment or repentance.

"The truth is," he continued, turning back to the road, "I've never been quite as attached to Iliana as you seem to be to Galen. And I've been growing less attached for a while now and I guess seeing her yesterday made me sure that we just wouldn't work."

He made it sound so easy. Keller marveled at Brett's ability to reason his way out of feeling something. She understood how using his method of comparison might make it easier for him, because it made it very clear how wrong he and Iliana would be together. She however, already knew how wrong it would be for her and Galen to be together. She had known it since the first time she felt something for him. She had been foolish, and ignored the consequences and fell for him anyway. At this point, logic wouldn't help to extricate her from this mess.

"We're here," Brett announced, seeming to realize that Keller was too distracted to notice that they had just pulled into Iliana's driveway.

She looked around. Iliana's house was just as bright and cheerful as it had been when she had left. Nothing about its outward appearance made it remarkable, let along made it seem like the type of place that would attract all of the fury of the Night World. Happiness and tranquility seemed to pour out of the windows in much the same way that light streamed in.

Brett's expectant look suggested that he was waiting for her to say something.

"Well, this was fun," she said hesitantly. Then she added, "We'll see you tonight." With that, she opened the door and hopped out of the car in one swift motion.

As she walked around the car to the pathway, Brett's hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

"That's it?" he asked in disbelief.

Keller tried to shake his arm off. "That's what?" she demanded, irritated.

Brett let go and Keller quickly stepped back so that she was out of reach. She hated being grabbed.

"I'm just shocked," Brett said. "I cant believe that you're not even going to yell at me for making you talk about," his eyes shifted to the house and then came to rest on her, "him."

"Why would I?" Keller asked, not really invested in the conversation. Now that she had arrived back at the house her thoughts were drifting back towards the attack.

Brett looked at her meaningfully. "You have a history of reacting violently whenever I say something that you don't want to hear."

"Well maybe I just don't feel like taking the energy," Keller retorted. It was a partial truth.

Brett looked almost disappointed. "Did anything I said actually sink in though?" he asked doubtfully.

Keller looked skywards in exasperation. "Even if it did it doesn't mean that I'm just going to, you know, move on," she said.

Brett nodded, staring absently in the direction of the dashboard. "Alright," he said.

Gripped with a sudden fear, Keller moved towards the car. She leaned over so that she was close enough to whisper.

"And by the way," she said hurriedly, "if you start talking about any of this around," this time it was her turn to glance meaningfully at the house, "while we're at your place, I will make sure that you spend the next year of your life in indescribable pain."

After she said it, Keller was almost worried that Brett would feel legitimately afraid. She had used her predatory glare, her most malicious voice, and on top of that had just threatened to make his life a living hell. That type of behavior generally elicited a fearful reaction.

Brett was motionless for a moment, but then a small smile started to play on his lips. His eyes grew darker, and as they changed, Keller found that they became increasingly more sharp and unnerving. She was the one who was put on edge.

Never breaking his gaze, Brett reached to the side, picked up the rose, and handed it to Keller.

"Understood," he said. Keller thought she heard a dangerous ring in his voice. He sounded like the type of person for whom the threat of pain was especially exciting.

Keller gave him what she was sure was, at best, a wobbly grin and plucked the rose from his hand.

Brett nodded to her and turned the key. Moments later, he was speeding off down the road, and Keller watched him until his gleaming car disappeared behind a row of houses.

She started walking towards the door in a daze. She knew she had to collect herself before going inside, as people were sure to ask what was wrong with her if she went in like this. She stopped in front of the stone path and tried to breathe deeply.

When that didn't work she turned around and started walking down Iliana's street, hoping that a brisk stroll would be enough to clear her head. She knew that she would be fine in a moment or so, but until she rid herself of the haze that Brett seemed to have put her in, she wouldn't be any help to the others. She felt a twinge of self-contempt for her weakness.

Just as the exercise was beginning to work, she heard a low, rumbling growl behind her.

Keller whipped around, her breath catching in her throat as she looked down on a snarling mountain lion standing in the middle of the street, paws extended, preparing to lunge at her.

In the split second before the mountain lion could spring, Keller began to transform. She felt the familiar pain that always accompanied the transformation, but this was only a small sting compared to her gut wrenching fear that the change would not come soon enough.

Her fears proved to be justified. Before she could slash her rapidly growing claws at the mountain lion, it sprang. Dagger like teeth sank deeply into her leg. She collapsed as the pain ripped through her.

She struggled to get up, the transformation only partially complete. The mountain lion circled her, its steady yellow eyes filled with triumph and power, as well as disgust. It was a decidedly human expression.

Now that the mountain lion had released her, the blood ran freely from her wounded leg. It flowed in a languid stream and landed in a pool on the grimy pavement. For some reason, the combination of blood and grit made Keller nauseous.

As quickly as she could she tried to get up, even though the pain shot through her leg like a bullet. She rounded on the mountain lion and lashed out with her one paw. The mountain lion easily avoided it. It looked at her with malicious glee.

Before Keller could strike again however, she saw a flash of fur and muscled legs, and suddenly the mountain lion was on its side, growling ferociously. On top of it, holding it down with a firm paw was another prominent member of the cat family, a jaguar. The jaguar's eyes glittered with rage as it looked down on the mountain lion.

The jaguar growled deeply at the mountain lion, which leaped up and glared at the jaguar resentfully. There seemed to be some communication between the two. They stared at one another for a matter of seconds before the mountain lion let out a small whine and ran away.

Overcome with pain and confusion, Keller let out a short breath.

The jaguar, which had been staring off in the direction of the receding mountain lion, turned towards Keller, fury still blazing in its eyes.

Keller raised her paw, preparing to strike if necessary, but she didn't have time to even consider completing the transformation before the jaguar suddenly turned and ran off after the mountain lion. Keller couldn't help but stare at it as it moved, its powerful muscles rippling beneath its fur.

After she lost sigh of it, she reversed the transformation, figuring that she was in greater danger of having a curious neighbor see a half panther than she was of being attacked again. After that, she was forced to look back down and examine her leg. Her left leg from her calf to her ankle was painted in blood. The oozing bite marks looked like small, meaty craters. The bite itself hadn't been too damaging but the blood loss was going to be a problem soon.

Keller tore off a piece of her black jumpsuit, the one she always wore for occasions such as this when she would have to transform at a moments notice. She wrapped it around her leg, but she knew that she was going to need Winnie to use a healing spell, and soon.

Getting back to Iliana's house was going to be a problem. She couldn't yell for help because that would get the neighbors involved, and telling them that she had been attacked by a rogue mountain lion would probably cause a town wide panic. The only way to get there would be to limp her way back. Keller was not looking forward to that, and she would probably pay dearly for the lengthy amount of time it would take.

Gritting her teeth, Keller began to hobble down the street.

She had made only infinitesimal progress when she heard the groan of tires behind her. A jolt went down her spine. Her mind was instantly a blur with potential explanations. She figured that she could say that she fell, seeing as how the wrapping covered up the bite marks. That explanation would be far less disturbing.

As the car neared her, she entertained the fleeting hope that it would just pass by. Unfortunately, the sound of screeching breaks informed her that she would have no such luck.

"Keller!"

Damn.

Keller reluctantly turned as Brett brought his car to a halt and leaped over the door, not even bothering to put on the emergency break. As he looked at her leg, his face whitened.

"Get in the car," he instructed her. He sounded surprisingly calm for having just found her limping on the street with her leg covered in blood.

Keller gave him a resentful look, not liking his imperious tone, but obliged. She slid into the passenger seat as Brett held the door open for her and helped her in. The moment she was seated he strode around the car and hopped back into the driver's seat, again choosing to ignore the door.

He shifted the gear and slammed his foot on the gas pedal, which Keller thought was a bit excessive seeing as how Iliana's house was only about twenty feet away. Even going a normal speed, they would have arrived at their destination in less than a minute. Brett however, seemed to want to shave that time by about forty seconds.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked her, his blue eyes blazing with concern.

"No," she lied. When he kept staring at her, she just nodded her head. When he frowned at her she asked, "Why are you even here?" which probably wasn't all that tactful as his showing up was actually a very positive thing. She would thank him later.

"I just remembered that I had to ask Iliana something, and since I was close by I figured I would just come back," he explained. He kept looking down at her leg as if at any moment it might erupt in a volcano of blood. Keller started to get a bit self-conscious as the looks became more frequent.

She didn't have much time to get annoyed however, as they were pulling into Iliana's driveway before the looks could really start to wear on her.

Brett rammed the emergency break and turned the key with a violent twist of his hand. He then bolted out of the car and walked over to Keller's side, reaching out his arm as he opened the door.

Keller allowed him to wrap her arm around his neck and support most of her weight. At the very least, he hadn't tried to carry her.

"What happened?" he asked as she opened the door. He sounded oddly distracted, as if he wasn't even very interested in how she became wounded.

"I was running and I tripped," she said calmly. She didn't look at him because she knew that her expression would betray her.

Brett however, far from questioning this far-fetched tale, simply nodded and hoisted Keller by the arm over the threshold.

"Iliana!" Brett shouted as Keller pointed to the living room. She looked around for any sign of Winnie or Nissa as Brett led her down the hallway.

When they came into the living room, Keller instructed Brett to deposit her on the couch. After she was lying down, he insisted on putting numerous pillows under her wounded leg to prop it up. As he positioned her leg Keller grew nervous the he would try to take off the wrapping or that it would slip and allow him a glimpse of the bloody bite marks.

As Keller fretted, Iliana blew into the room with a brilliant smile. Her welcoming appearance suggested that she thought Brett had dropped by for a social visit. When she looked down at Keller and saw her lying supine on the couch, her upturned lips dove downwards and she ran across the room and knelt down gracefully beside her.

"Oh no, Keller what happened?" she cried, her musical voice anguished.

"Where's Winnie?" Keller demanded, ignoring Iliana's pained look.

"I'm here," an anxious voice behind Iliana responded.

Keller watched as Winnie strode into the room, stopping abruptly as she noticed the blood and the looks of concern on Iliana and Brett's faces. She stood motionless for a few moments, her mouth agape and her eyes beginning to well with tears.

"Winnie," Keller said tiredly, "I need help." She was careful to avoid specifying what kind of help she needed.

Winnie let out a tiny whimper and then suddenly she was at Keller's side, her red curls bouncing as she studied Keller's leg. She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Iliana, do you think that you both could give me some time alone in here," she asked, her voice strained with suppressed sobs.

Keller watched Brett's face cloud, some of the concern lifting to make room for a dark, bitter expression. He gave her a long, lingering look, unaffected by the fact that she was staring back at him.

"Of course," Iliana acquiesced kindly, taking Brett lightly by the arm and motioning to the doorway. "Brett do you want me to walk you to your car?"

Brett nodded. "Sure," he said. He started to follow Iliana to the hallway. As he passed through the door he turned and said, "I'll see you later Keller," in an inscrutable tone. After that he ducked through the doorway and was gone.

"Keller," Winnie whispered miserably, staring at the wrapping. She was probably scared to look underneath and see whatever monstrous thing it was covering.

"Unwrap it," Keller instructed quietly.

Winnie drew in a shuddering breath and began to tentatively peal off the sopping swath of jump suit. She had to stifle a gasp when she saw the oozing bite marks beneath.

"What did this?" she asked brokenly, reaching for the wet cloth. Keller admired her ability to go on, undeterred by the disgusting sight.

"Shape-shifter," Keller said. She allowed herself a small flinch as Winnie's cloth made contact with the wound.

Winnie apologized profusely in her soft, anxious voice. Then her eyes changed and she looked at Keller with an expression of abject horror. "It was a Night World shape-shifter," she guessed, despair coloring her tone.

Keller nodded. "I think it was a warning, or a reminder," she said.

"A reminder of what?" Winnie asked, perplexed.

Keller let out a long breath. "A reminder of what they can do," she explained, "and what they plan to do to all of us when they attack. They don't want us to forget how powerful they are."

Winnie's breath caught and she mumbled something about going to get her supplies. She stood up abruptly and left Keller alone to imagine the army of the Night World, collectively flashing her one malicious, triumphant grin.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey to anyone who's actually still reading this. I'm sorry it takes me so long to update, but now I just really want to finish it so I think I'll be updating more regularly. **

**So Sunshine Symptom, you totally got it! The only thing now is that I'm not sure whether I want Brett to end up good or bad. Also I don't know who I really want Keller to end up with. So hopefully you'll keep reading. And reviews are always welcome!**

Iliana's goodbye to her parents was long and tearful.

As they stood waiting in the mudroom, surrounded by their bags, Keller, her team, and Galen watched Iliana brake down into small sobs as her parents hugged her tightly and told her that they loved her and that they hoped that she would have fun at Jamie's house while they were visiting Mitchell.

The scene was strange to watch. Iliana's parents were so serene, they barley registered that their daughter was crying brokenly in their arms. Nor did they seem at all concerned that they were leaving their jobs, their home and their daughter for an indefinite amount of time. Winnie must have done her part very well.

Iliana on the other hand was in no way composed. She clutched her parents as if letting them go would kill her. Her dramatic and sorrowful goodbye gave Keller the impression that she didn't believe that she and her family would ever again be reunited.

After fifteen minutes of weeping and hugs, Keller began to get anxious. She lightly tapped Iliana on the shoulder, hoping that the gesture wouldn't be considered too callous or intrusive, and reminded her that Brett was expecting them at seven. Instead of pleading for more time, Iliana drew in one long, shuddering breath and released her parents. She kissed her brother, who was nestled in her father's arms, and gave her family one last, loving smile before reaching down to pick up her bags. Galen immediately rushed over to her and insisted on carrying them instead. Gratitude radiating from her, Iliana allowed him to take her things and turned back to her parents once more.

Keller should have known that it couldn't have been that easy.

Frustrated but unable to bring herself to rush the witch child, Keller picked up two more bags and gestured for Winnie and Nissa to do the same.

As she stood in the threshold, she turned to Iliana, who was making faces at her baby brother. The little boy was laughing with glee and scrunching his face in efforts to mimic his sister's silly faces.

"We'll pack everything in the car, but after that we'll need to go," Keller said in a voice that made it clear that this was nonnegotiable. Iliana turned and nodded; her doe eyes were filled with sad acceptance.

Keller began to limp her way out onto Iliana's lawn. The pain in her leg was beginning to ease a little, but she was still aware of her calf in a way that she didn't care for. With each step, it throbbed dully, and she fought to keep her face smooth and blank. Winnies healing spell, which had been effective in almost every other respect, did not actually take away the pain.

When she reached the gaping trunk of the car, Galen was ready to take the bags and arrange them in an orderly fashion. Keller was completely unsurprised that he would find so chivalrous an occupation.

"How's your leg?" he asked as she handed him the striped bag that contained at least half of Iliana's wardrobe. The girl did not travel light.

"Fine," Keller said, trying not to touch him as she gave him the second bag. In the back of her mind, she was still waiting for an entirely different sort of pain to kick in.

After Galen had placed the leather bag on top of the first one, he looked at Keller. His eyes were resigned, but she could still see a trace of the fire that had raged inside them earlier this morning. There were faint sparks in his gaze.

"I know that this isn't a good time to say this," he began, lowering his voice as Winnie and Nissa approached them, "but I'm begging you to reconsider." His eyes bore into hers imploringly.

Keller hardened her gaze. "I'm not going to talk about this anymore," she said tightly. With that, she stepped aside so that Winnie could deposit her bags in the trunk.

As she brushed past Nissa, the vampire reached out her hand and lightly touched her arm.

"What?" demanded Keller, not bothering to face Nissa. She was itching to get back inside before Iliana could decide that it was too painful to leave her family and ask to alter the plan in some unacceptable way.

Nissa, sensing Keller's haste, softly said, "I know you want to leave, but just try to go easy on her tonight."

Keller snorted, "I have gone easy on her," she said. "I've let her have more than enough time to say goodbye, especially considering that they'll see each other in a few days anyway."

Nissa's silence finally prompted Keller to look at her. The vampire was searching her face, probably trying to decide whether Keller really believed what she said.

Apparently, Keller's face didn't reveal anything as Nissa still seemed uncertain when she replied, "That may be true, but the Night World is still coming to attack her house, and who knows what will happen to it, so there are plenty of reasons for her to be upset." Nissa gave Keller a meaningful look. "She's probably not just saying goodbye to her family."

Keller sighed. Nissa was right, as usual. As she stared at the brightly lit house and the clump of shadows behind the drawn curtains, she pictured the place lying in ruins. She thought of all the memories that would be irreparably damaged. Iliana might lose her home, and even though Keller couldn't empathize with her, as she had really never had a place that she felt very attached to, she could imagine that the prospect of losing something like that could be very painful.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "I'll give her a few more minutes."

Nissa smiled at her and touched her arm again before walking towards the car. Keller watched her as she walked; wondering what had brought on this change in Nissa. Keller had never thought of her as someone who openly displayed affection for anyone. She always seemed so stoic and reserved. Keller found herself hoping that this change was a sign that Nissa felt as close to her as she felt to the vampire.

Unable to subdue her impatience any longer, she began to hobble up the stairs. As she reached to push open the door, she heard Iliana launch into another monologue about how much she loved her parents and how much she would miss them while they were away. With a groan, Keller forcefully swung the door open, preparing to drag Iliana out of the house if necessary.

Iliana turned the moment that Keller stepped through the door, and Keller felt a lurch in her stomach as she took in the sight of the miserable witch child. She had often seen Iliana radiate joy in a way that made it seem tangible. She might not have been able to believe that Iliana could also emit despair in much the same way had she not actually witnessed it.

Trying to shake off the feelings of guilt, she took Iliana's arm gently.

"We need to go."

Iliana nodded slowly, then turned one last time to her placid parents and her smiling brother and uttered a small goodbye.

As Keller led Iliana out of the door and down the concrete steps, she felt the guilt begin to churn inside her. She couldn't help but feel like some sort of executioner taking a poor girl away from her family to be slaughtered. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

She tried to think of something comforting to say as they crossed the lawn, something that would make her feel less like the heartless facilitator of death that she was picturing herself as, but nothing that she came up with seemed appropriate.

She was spared the discomfort of fumbling for condolences and was thrust into an uncomfortable situation of an entirely different sort when Iliana abruptly stopped and hugged her, resting her face on Keller's shoulder and letting her tears drip down onto her jump suit. Keller stood paralyzed, her arms slightly extended away from her and her abdominal muscles clenched against Iliana's shuddering sobs. She was sure that her face was the picture of pure consternation.

What was she supposed to do? What she really wanted to do was to tell Iliana that all of her fears were unnecessary and that she would be back with her parents in a week's time. She wanted to scold her for being so dramatic. She wanted to assure her that her family would be safe, that she would be kept safe, and that the Night World would never get the chance to harm them.

She also really wanted to believe all those things.

Instead of trying to talk to the sobbing girl, Keller hesitantly wrapped her arms around Iliana's slight figure. The witch child responded by pulling herself closer to Keller, clutching at Keller's jumpsuit. She bunched the material covering Keller's shoulders, and held tightly to it with her clenched fists. Keller wound her arms more tightly around Iliana, feeling a strange sense of protectiveness that had nothing to do with the fact that she was holding the witch child and the third wild power.

After Iliana's violent sobs had subsided, she unclenched her fists and let the material snap back into place. She then slowly pulled away from Keller, her hands running down the lengths of Keller's arms, until finally Iliana took Keller's hands in her own. She faced her; her eyes were brimming with tears, but a small smile was beginning to play at her lips.

"We should go," she said in a voice that Keller could tell was meant to be strong. She sniffled and stared at Keller, waiting for confirmation.

Keller, who felt a bit shaken, tried to regain her composure as she nodded to Iliana. She turned towards the car, releasing one of Iliana's hands but holding firmly to the other as she led her along the stone pathway.

Once they reached the car, Galen, who had witnessed the whole, unbelievable scene, stepped forward and reached out his arms, inviting Iliana to exchange one consoler for another. Keller, sensing that she was no longer necessary, let go of the hand that she had been holding and allowed Iliana to fall into Galen's strong, welcoming embrace. A fresh wave of sobs seemed to start up as Iliana buried her face into Galen's chest.

"It's alright, it'll be alright," he murmured, his voice low and gentle. He began to stroke Iliana's hair, his fingers intertwining with the waterfall of silver.

Keller stood, mesmerized by the image in front of her. The two were like a painting, all light and beauty, perfect angles and pure, unclouded emotions. The intent was so clear, the purpose of the embrace understandable to any outsider.

Despite the perfection however, Keller couldn't feel wonder or joy. She only felt the sharp stab of jealousy, and the nauseating self-hatred that accompanied it. This, she was sure, was the onset of the pain that she had been so narrowly avoiding.

Then, suddenly, Galen looked up at her. Their eyes locked immediately, and Keller felt a jolt run down her spine as she stared into the pained, conflicted mirrors. Suddenly the scene was no longer pure. There was at least one person whose feelings were not as simple as the picture made them out to be.

Galen, still stoking Iliana's hair, began to murmur again. Keller could hear every comforting word that was uttered in the direction of Iliana's ear. Despite the feeling that she was intruding on an incredibly intimate moment, she could not break her gaze.

Just as she was beginning to worry that Winnie and Nissa, who were already waiting in the car, would come out and find them in this peculiar position, Galen raised his head slightly, still inclined towards Iliana but facing Keller more directly.

His eyes never left Keller's as he whispered, "I love you," into Iliana's ear.

At first, Keller felt nothing. The stabs of jealousy had stopped bothering her, but nothing had taken their place. She couldn't really process anything that was happening around her. The streetlights lining the road began to dim, and she was no longer sure whether it was night or day, even though a thick darkness surrounded them.

He had been looking right at her. He was still looking right at her.

Didn't that mean something?

For a moment, Keller felt the almost irrepressible urge to scream at Galen and demand to know what he meant by staring at her while declaring his love for Iliana. Had he wanted Keller to know that he loved Iliana and that nothing Keller could do would change that? Was his gaze only a sign that she should back off? That seemed too cruel for Galen. She found it hard to believe that he would be so aggressive about it.

She wanted so badly to believe that his looking at her was his way of telling her that, even though he loved Iliana, he still loved her too. Keller felt a surge of joy at the idea, but a nagging feeling of weakness quickly followed it. She had done so well today, never dwelling on Galen for too long, forming and carrying out the plan as if nothing had happened. She shouldn't even entertain the idea of giving in now.

But she desperately wanted to.

As quickly as she could, given her injured leg, she strode toward the front passenger door, leaving Galen to comfort Iliana. She could feel his eyes on her as she opened the door and slid inside, but she staunchly refused to turn around.

Once inside the car she let out a long, quiet breath. She tried to counter the sinking feeling in her gut by congratulating herself on walking away from Galen. It didn't bring much relief.

"Will they be joining us soon?" she heard Nissa ask. The vampire was sitting in the driver's seat, hands firmly planted on the steering wheel, ready to drive off the moment that the two laggards got in the car. She didn't seem to have noticed how tense Keller was beside her.

"Not unless Iliana can pull herself together," Keller retorted. This harsh response earned her a scolding from Winnie, who was twiddling her thumbs in the backseat.

"Boss, you know that she's having a hard time, and there's no real rush to get to Jamie's house," Winnie reminded her.

"Thank you Winnie," Keller snapped, rounding on the witch. "I had completely forgotten after she threw herself on me and soaked my shoulder in tears."

"What?" Winnie and Nissa asked in the same tone of surprise. Apparently, neither of them had witnessed Keller comforting Iliana.

"She caught me off guard," Keller said defensively. "We were walking out the door and she was upset and I couldn't very well push her away." She glanced at Nissa, hoping for understanding.

The vampire was looking at her with that knowing expression that Keller was starting to realize was only ever directed towards her. The idea made her very self-conscious.

"I know exactly what you're thinking," she began before Nissa could say anything. She felt like acknowledging the vampire's penetrating stare was the only way she could shield herself against it.

Nissa simply chuckled and turned towards the front, but Keller thought that she caught her muttering in an almost inaudible voice, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Maybe I should just check on them," Keller heard Winnie chirp from the backseat.

"No, because you'll end up joining their little weep-fest and then we'll have an even harder time getting out of here," Keller said firmly. "Just roll down your window and tell them to get inside," she instructed.

Winnie hesitated, flashing Keller a pout, but reluctantly obeyed. She pressed the button and the glass began to slip down, revealing Galen and Iliana. The two were still locked in an embrace, and appeared to have little to no concern for what was going on around them. The sight of Galen gave Keller's stomach an unpleasant lurch.

Winnie stuck her heard out of the window. "Iliana, Galen," she began tentatively, obviously determined to be as sympathetic and gentle as possible, which was the last thing that Keller needed.

"We need to leave now," Keller interjected, loudly enough to get the attention of the two people outside the car. Iliana and Galen looked up and quickly separated when they heard Keller's commanding tone.

Winnie, giving Keller a dirty look, scooted aside as Iliana and Galen slid into the back seat of the car, muttering apologies. Though the back of the car was spacious and there was more than enough room to spread out comfortably on the seat, the three stayed close together, Winnie and Galen on either side of Iliana. The witch and the prince held tightly to Iliana's hands as they tried to sooth her. Despite their efforts, tears continued to stream down Iliana's pale cheeks.

"Ready Boss?" Nissa asked quietly, trying not to disturb the people behind her.

"Lets go," Keller said brusquely. She debated rolling down her own window as Nissa pulled the car away from the curb and started speeding down the road, just so she could drown out the soft sobs and the comforting voices coming from the back seat, which she suspected wouldn't be quieting any time soon. She decided against it, figuring that she only had to deal with it for a short car ride, and then, once they were settled in Brett's house, she wouldn't even have to see any of them. Taking comfort in this, she spent the rest of the ride staring out at the darkened town, trying desperately to ignore the voices drifting up from the back seat and the pressing desire to think about what had just happened with Galen.

When they reached Brett's house, the handsome mansion was awash with light. Almost all of the innumerable windows were illuminated, and the light that poured out of them gave the house a bright, majestic glow that only served to make the place seem larger. As they drove up the gravel driveway to the stately oak door, the regal and welcoming look of the mansion gave Keller a momentary sense of comfort.

As they neared the front of the house, the large doors opened and Brett strode through them, smiling at the car as they came to halt.

Keller found herself unable to ignore the small, excited leap that her heart took as she looked at Brett. While their last encounter hadn't exactly ended in a happy way, and that was even before the mountain lion attacked her and Brett had to rush her back to Iliana's house, something about Brett made it difficult not to be at least a little bit exhilarated whenever she saw him.

As soon as she opened the door and swung her injured leg outside, Brett quickened his pace. He was beside the car in seconds and was helping her out of the door.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. His smile faltered a little as he peered down at the bandaged leg.

"Not much," Keller responded lightly.

"Do you need help getting inside?" Brett asked, starting to move towards the door.

Keller pulled away from Brett, an indignant expression hardening her features.

"Well ten feet is quite a distance, but I think I'll give it a shot," she said sarcastically.

Brett just grinned, shaking his head as he walked to the trunk where the others were already removing the bags. Keller followed him as quickly as she could, given the limp. She was childishly determined to prove that she could function just as well without the full use of her left leg.

As she neared the trunk, she heard Iliana greet Brett in a wobbly but decidedly cheerful voice. Apparently, she was going to put on a happy face for Brett. Keller wondered how much Iliana hid when she was around other people. Maybe she felt obligated to be effervescent so that no one had to worry about her.

"Brett, you've met Winnie and Nissa a couple of times before," Iliana said, moving on to introductions, "and you already know Galen."

Keller's stomach dropped as Brett shifted his gaze towards Galen. Her anxiousness was unnecessary as Brett, far from being unfriendly, simply gave Galen a small, blank smile. He then focused his attention on Winnie and Nissa, greeting them politely and offering to take some of the bags that they were carrying. Nissa declined, but Winnie graciously accepted. Keller noted the interested look that she was giving Brett as she handed him her bag, and the playful smile that lit up her already bright face as he took it from her with a grin. Obviously, his classic good looks had not gone unnoticed.

For some unfathomable reason, she wanted to tell the witch to carry her own damn bags.

As Brett and Winnie began to walk towards the door, Winnie bubbling over with compliments for Brett's beautiful house, Keller forcefully snatched up two of the heaviest bags she could find and started to follow them. Before she had made any progress however, voices behind her caught her attention, and she slowed her pace.

"Iliana, I'm so sorry that this whole thing has been so difficult for you," Keller heard Galen say in a low, earnest voice. "And I know that this is only going to make things more complicated, but I really, truly believe that we should find somewhere else to stay."

"But why?" Iliana asked in a miserable tone, seeming to have dropped the pretense of lightheartedness.

Try explaining that one to her, Keller thought caustically. She could already picture Iliana's face when Galen told her that Brett was evil or something to that effect. She waited impatiently to hear the words, and then to hear Iliana reject them completely.

Realizing that she was barley moving and fearing that her sluggishness might cause suspicion, she placed the bags on the ground, knelt down, and made a show of examining her leg, even though it pained her to do so after spending all afternoon assuring everyone that it felt just fine. She even threw in a frustrated grunt to make it clear that she was not paying any attention to their conversation.

As she played with the gauze a bit, pretending to be adjusting it, she listened to the anticipation filled silence. Keller wondered if Galen was building up the nerve to tell Iliana what he really thought of Brett or if he was fabricating a more acceptable and convincing reason that would be more likely to sway the witch child.

Finally, she heard Galen say, "It's because of Keller."

Keller's fingers twitched spastically, but after that brief loss of control, she got a hold of herself and waited for Galen to continue. She was dying to know where he was taking this.

Moments later, she got her answer.

"I'm just worried that she's developing feelings for Brett," Galen said in a quiet, guilt-ridden voice, "and it just seems like he has feelings for you, and I don't want her to have to deal with that when there's so much else going on."

Oh.

Keller had experienced rage before. Innumerable times actually. Sometimes it was directed towards an enemy, occasionally towards the memory of her mother, or sometimes it was directed towards the world that had allowed so much evil to flourish and thrive.

The rage that she felt at that moment was more potent and consuming than it had ever been before, probably because she had never been so connected with the subject of her white-hot fury. It was a rage that was fueled by a deep sense of betrayal.

She hated him. She _hated_ him. She would never have imagined that she could feel this way about anyone, especially not someone as gentle as Galen. Not even her cherished memories of his kindness and generosity could quell her rage.

He knew he was lying. That was why the guilt and shame were so transparent. This didn't make it any better; in fact, it made it that much worse. Keller realized now that Galen was willing to paint her as a weak, pitiable girl with a stupid crush in order to win Iliana's support. She couldn't believe that he had that little respect for her, that he would use her as a pawn. And the hypocrisy of his suggestion made her reel. How could he even pretend to think that Keller's imaginary feelings for Brett would hurt her when her feelings for him, feelings that he was well aware of, were tearing her up inside? If she should avoid anyone, it should be Galen.

Keller rose swiftly, grabbed the two bags, and strode towards the door, not even bothering to emphasize her limp, which under normal circumstances she would have done after making such a big deal about her leg. She suddenly didn't care if they knew that she was eavesdropping. It didn't matter anyway, seeing as how they had such a low opinion of her already.

How could she have been so stupid as to think that he actually still loved her?

She tried furiously to blink away the angry tears that were forming in her eyes as she pushed open the heavy door. They receded quickly, and the anger was left to stew insider her gut.

Inside the foyer, Brett was conversing animatedly with Winnie, their bags in a clump by their feet. Nissa was standing near the grand, curved staircase, looking at it as though she wished she could escape up the marble stairs. She didn't seem to want to intrude on Brett and Winnie's conversation.

Winnie was as charming and ebullient as Keller had ever seen her. She had always seemed like a high-spirited person, but Keller had never seen her use her vivaciousness as a way to attract someone. Watching her, Keller found that the witch was especially captivating when she was trying to impress someone.

At first, Keller's already fiery mood made her want to rip out Winnie's voluminous red curls, but then she assured herself that Brett couldn't possibly go for an act like that. Winnie was like Iliana, kind and optimistic, even a little on the naïve side. After having gotten to know Brett, Keller found it difficult to imagine that Winnie could really win his heart with her exuberance and her happy-go-lucky routine.

As Keller stood there, Brett's eyes wandered over to her and lingered for a fraction of a second. He flashed a sideways smile and then turned his gaze back on the witch, seeming to become even more engrossed as she continued speaking.

Then again, Keller thought unhappily, Winnie was a witch. She was intense, and strong, and extremely beautiful, especially to humans. She was also a very good person, and despite sometimes having a loose grasp on common sense, she was still very intelligent. There were many attractive things about Winnie.

Keller hated her for each of them.

She wandered over to the stairs to stand by Nissa.

"Seems she's found something to entertain her," Nissa whispered, eyeing Winnie with an expression of cool amusement.

"Hopefully she won't be too distracted," Keller said roughly. Then, in a more dispassionate tone she added, "There's still a lot to do."

As Nissa nodded, Iliana and Galen entered the opulent house. Iliana had the look of someone returning to a cherished second home, while Galen seemed as though he was visiting a slaughterhouse. The suspicion and disgust on his face was so obvious that Keller wanted to scream at him. Then again, she wanted to scream at him for a number of reasons.

"Come in," Brett urged them, breaking away from Winnie. The witch watched him coyly as he walked over to Iliana and Galen.

"All four rooms upstairs are ready for you," he informed them pleasantly, "and you can decide how you want to split up." His meaning was unmistakable, and even though she could see only the back of his head, Keller was sure that his expression was at least mildly derisive.

Iliana, oblivious to his insinuation, smiled up at him appreciatively. "I think that I'll stay with Winnie, and maybe Keller and Nissa can sleep together," she suggested, her voice filled with warmth.

Keller heard Winnie let out a small giggle, and she herself tried and failed to suppress a snort. She glanced at Nissa, who looked amused, though a bit uncomfortable.

Iliana seemed confused, then, as realization dawned on her, she blushed deeply and bowed her head. Her waterfall of hair slid down her shoulders and covered her face like a veil. Galen put an arm around her, grinning affectionately as he did so.

"Well that sounds like a marvelous idea," Brett announced, throwing Keller a wicked smile. "And Winnie and I had another good idea: we're going to go get pizza, seeing as how I can't possibly hope to cook for all of you, even with my excellent culinary skills."

As Brett and Winnie moved towards the door, Brett gestured towards the staircase and said, "Make yourself at home, but if you don't mind it would be appreciated if you didn't go into any of the other rooms." He gave them an apologetic look. "The fewer rooms I have to worry about before my parents get back, the better," he explained. He turned to Iliana, "Just stick to the rooms you and Jamie usually hang out in."

Keller watched Brett help Winnie with her coat, the witch beaming up at him in delight. The scene filled her with disgust, and she was comforted only by the fact that now she would have a few minutes alone to think, or not to think.

Just as she was reaching to pick up her bag, Brett yelled from outside, "Keller, why don't you come with us?"

Keller had to pause a moment before she answered. Should she stay and be in the same house as the betrayer and the love of his life, or should she go and watch Winnie and Brett flirt for a half hour? Neither option was especially tempting, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of Galen's expression, her mind was made up.

Galen had a look in his eyes that suggested that her going anywhere with Brett was about as desirable as her jumping off a bridge. She could almost hear him yelling, "Don't go" in his mind.

She looked behind her. "Do you want to come to?" she asked the vampire.

Nissa shook her head. "You go Boss," she replied, her expression inscrutable.

Keller bounded towards the door, limping only slightly, and closed it with satisfaction as she stepped out into the cold, dark night.


	15. Chapter 15

"North Carolina is sooo pretty," Winnie cooed as they sat at a stoplight on their way to Vincenzo's Pizza.

Keller, sitting in the back of Brett's car, groaned inwardly. What an insightful, fascinating remark she thought, her mental voice dripping with sarcasm.

Winnie had been making observations like this since they left the house. Thus far, Brett and Winnie had found nothing to discuss other than their mutual appreciation of the lawn and roof decorations put up during the holiday season. Oh, and they were both especially fond of lit-up reindeer. How had they ever survived without each other?

Keller would have been gratified by their obvious lack of similarities and the fact that Brett sounded completely unlike himself were it not for the way that Brett was looking at Winnie. He seemed genuinely interested in hearing her talk about the most banal things. Keller was forced to wonder if Winnie's cheerful disposition just brought out a part of him that Keller never had.

Keller listened to Brett make a sound of agreement. "It's especially nice in the spring," he said. "Although that can be said about a lot of places, but there's something really spectacular about the trees and the flowers."

Winnie seemed delighted by this response. "Nature is always beautiful," she purred, "but I could see how the warmer season would enhance its loveliness." She smiled widely as they drove by a house decked in hundreds of gaudy blinking lights. The glare from the lights made her pearly teeth gleam.

Keller's snicker was thankfully drowned out by the sound of the wind. Of course a _witch_ would say that.

From the back of the car, Keller could see Brett nodding slowly, as if he were considering Winnie's words.

"I wouldn't say that nature is always beautiful," he said conversationally, his tone just as light as it had been during the discussion about rainbow versus white lights. "I've never thought of a lion eating a gazelle as a beautiful thing."

"Well," Winnie began hesitantly, looking somewhat deflated. She was obviously wondering why Brett had put a stop to their flirtatious banter. "I guess that's not one of nature's more appealing aspects."

Keller could see the wheels turning in Winnie's mind as she spoke, because her own thoughts were going in the same direction. Both she and Winnie were thinking about the Night World, and how much stronger its members were than the humans that they so despised. They were picturing the things that the members of the Night World had done to humans, things that were far from beautiful. If the Night World was natural, then Nature didn't deserve to be called beautiful.

Brett rolled his head and gave Winnie an understanding smile, probably sensing that she was in no mood to discuss the positive and negative aspects of nature.

"Look at that house," he said excitedly, pointing to a modest home covered in lit up snowmen. Keller feared that the roof might cave under the weight of the army of merry men in flashing top hats.

Don't think about armies, Keller told herself fiercely, gripped with a sudden fear. Thankfully, the goofy faces of the snowmen made it difficult to picture the merciless faces of the Night World army, so the fear passed quickly.

Winnie gave Brett a winsome smile. She seemed relieved that their conversation had returned to something light and whimsical.

"So we've heard that you're having a party soon," Winnie said, tossing her hair back so that her curls bounced in the wind. "I hope we're not going to get in the way."

Keller saw Brett give her a sideways look. "Your being there will make it that much better," he assured her in a low voice.

Keller wanted to scoff, or laugh, or hit someone. As she knew that these impulses would cause even more discomfort, she settled on putting her elbow on the edge of the door and resting her head in her palm with a grimace.

She was utterly bewildered. She had no idea how a guy like Brett could be interested in a girl like Winnie. They had spent less than an hour together, and yet he seemed completely enraptured.

Keller had to admit though that Winnie was decidedly charming when she was around him. It was strange to see a girl who always seemed so innocent trying to seduce someone. Keller would never have thought that she could be so good at it.

After a few minutes of silent brooding, Keller spotted the rectangular neon sign announcing that they had arrived at Vincenzo's Pizza. The restaurant was small but heavily populated. It seemed that this was one of the popular gathering places of the town's youth. Teenagers crowded the booths, some of them spilling out into the isles. Keller recognized a number of them from Iliana's high school.

As he maneuvered the car into the last available parking space, Brett reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and drew out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. To Keller's surprise, he turned to Winnie.

"Would you mind getting it?" he asked her, taking her hand and placing the money in it. "I thought that I heard something in the back of the car, and I just want to check it to make sure everything's alright."

Winnie nodded. "Of course," she said, lifting her eyes demurely.

Keller was reeling. In all their time together, she had never seen Winnie be demure. She would have liked to say that it didn't suit her at all, but the girl was pretty convincing.

Winnie opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement. She walked breezily towards the entrance, glancing back once before going inside. A bell tinkled as she slipped through the door and was lost in the sea of people.

For a moment, Brett and Keller sat in complete silence.

"Your friend is a stimulating girl," Keller heard Brett say, his tone filled with something that she couldn't quite identify, though she got the sickening impression that it was akin to lust.

"What was it that you were going to fix?" she asked curtly. She was not going to engage in a discussion about Winnie. If that had been Brett's intent in sending Winnie in to the restaurant, then he would be sorely disappointed.

"She has such an energy about her," he observed. "She's very…vibrant."

"I never heard anything that sounded like it might have been broken," Keller informed him stonily. She had a sinking feeling that Brett hadn't heard anything either.

"I'll be honest, I really like her," Brett went on doggedly. Keller wondered why he insisted on facing the storefront. Maybe he was hoping to catch a glimpse of his vibrant temptress in the window.

"If you tell me what to look for I can check if you'd like," she offered through clenched teeth.

Keller heard the groan of leather as Brett shifted in his seat, finally turning to look at her. Even in the dark parking lot, Keller could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"This is making you uncomfortable," he said as if he had just contributed some great insight.

Yes, very astute, Keller thought snidely. To Brett she said, "I just don't really know what you want me to say."

Brett's eyes lingered on her for a moment. Keller sat very still, determined not to show how much this was affecting her. Even though she suspected that Brett could feel her agitation, and he certainly must have heard it in her voice, she wanted to seem as though this was of little concern to her.

You do care though, a voice in her head reminded her. It sounded smug.

Yes, Keller thought angrily. Why shouldn't I be?

Why are you?

Well that was easy, Keller thought, pleased that she was prepared to answer the nagging voice in her head. Winnie was part of her team, and as such, she needed to focus on completing the mission. It would be most inconvenient to have to add a budding romance to the list of things that she had to deal with. She also couldn't get past the feeling that Brett and Winnie were wrong for each other. There were no similarities, nothing to connect them. Even a brief tryst seemed unnatural between two such different people.

Maybe they're not so different, the voice suggested slyly. Maybe he really is the person that you met that day with Iliana. Maybe everything with you has been an act, a way to put the moves on you. Now that he's found someone more interesting, maybe he's just reverting back to his real self.

Keller couldn't respond to the voice. She had lost the fighting spirit that had fueled her stubborn thoughts. In an instant, a profound disappointment flooded through her. If she actually had the capacity to feel anything else, she would have been shocked that one thought, one supposition, could cause her to plummet into such a dark, consuming depression.

She was so sure that he had understood. She had felt connected to him. They had both shared things that had been kept locked away for a very long time, maybe things that had never been shared with anyone else, or at least in Keller's case. There were things that she had told Brett that she hadnt even told Galen.

Keller barely registered Brett turning around and shaking his head, all the while muttering, "You don't need to say anything," in his cheerful tone.

Even though she was staring straight at Winnie as she walked back out of the shop, pizza's in hand, and slid into the car, she didn't see the witch. She wasn't consciously aware of her movements when she took the pizza's from Winnie and put them in the seat beside her.

During the drive back, Winnie and Brett chatted about the party, Brett every bit as enthralled as before. Keller made a point to stare blankly ahead of her, not revealing anything more than vague annoyance and boredom.

Every so often, she saw Brett glance back at her in the rear view mirror. At first, his eyes were shining and boyant, in a way that was almost childlike. After they had been driving for a few minutes, Brett's expression in the mirror had become one of amusement, as if he found Keller's reaction to their conversation quite entertaining.

By the time they made the turn into Brett's neighborhood however, Brett seemed to have sobered. His glances in the mirror seemed confused and concerned, and while he was still perfectly congenial, he wasnt as playful with Winnie.

As Brett pulled into his long, grey driveway, Keller felt her need to escape intensify, so much so that she debated faking sick and hiding out in her room. She yearned for solitude. There was only one person in the house that she didn't desperately want to avoid.

Unfortunately, the rumble in her empty stomach and the way that the sight of the pizzas beside her was making her salivate robbed her of any chance of an immediate escape. She would have to bear the company a little while longer.

Keller reached for the pizza's, but realized that hands were already lifting the boxes up and out of the car. Keller raised her eyes and saw Brett, studying her intently.

Winnie came up behind him, her mouth opening as if she were about to say something delightful and charming. It closed when she saw the way that Brett was looking at Keller, and the way that Keller was glaring back. Keller figured that the witch thought it was strange, the way that they were staring at each other intensely without speaking, but the look that Winnie flashed her was filled not with confusion but with feminine rivalry, as if she was upset that Keller was taking Brett's attention off of her.

Winnie's look made something in Keller snap. She quickly broke her gaze and got out of the car, stewing as she began to walk towards the door. The other two followed behind her, and she heard Brett laugh when Winnie assured him that she was always moody. Keller wanted to turn around and smack that flirtatious smile off the stupid, vibrant witch.

"We'll eat in the kitchen," Brett called. "Feel free to take any drinks you find."

Keller wondered if that offer applied to the booze. She had only been drunk once before, and it hadn't exactly been fantastic, but now seemed like a good time to drink herself into oblivion.

She ran into Nissa, who had heard the door opening, as she tried to find the kitchen. Brett had shown it to her, and she usually had a very good memory for location, but the Winnie and Brett episode had discombobulated her and she couldn't for the life of her remember where it was. She liked to think that the massiveness of Brett's house was also throwing her off. If she went down one wrong corridor, she was likely to be lost for an hour.

Nissa, always perceptive, immediately realized that Keller was in a foul mood.

"What happened," she asked impassively, not due to lack of interest, Keller imagined, but because she knew that she probably wouldn't get an answer.

"Where's the kitchen," Keller demanded brusquely. She snapped her head back and forth, as if the way would suddenly appear to her.

Nissa looked at Keller quizzically before taking her arm and gently pushing her through a doorway. They walked into a long hall lined with family photos. The pictures showed the family in a number of poses, all very manufactured and choreographed. Keller noted the typical family portrait with Brett's mother, a kind looking woman with shoulder-length brown hair, sitting down, the twins on either side of her and Brett's father, who was clearly the one that Brett took after in terms of looks, standing behind them all.

One picture in particular caught her attention; a close-up of Brett and Jamie sitting in the grass with their arms around each other. It looked like it must have been taken in the past two years or so. They were smiling with abandon, their eyes squinting and their faces wrinkling. They were clearly not concerned with how flattering the picture would be. Keller was touched by how loving they seemed, but what caught her attention was the expression in Brett's eyes. His blue eyes were lighter, not just the color but also the feeling that they conveyed. There was contentment in them, and though she was sure that they could express a wide range of emotions, she found it difficult to imagine them sharp and dark. They lacked a depth that she had noticed in Brett's eyes. She wondered what had happened to make them change.

At the end of the hallway were two solid mahogany panel doors. Keller tried to push one open, but she was met with resistance. As she was about to lunge toward it again, Nissa grabbed her and held her back, a small smile playing on her lips. She reached out her slim, pale arm and slid the door to the side. It disappeared into the wall, leaving Keller to stare after it angrily.

She muttered a curt thanks to Nissa and walked into the sleek, modern kitchen that Brett had shown her the other day. She felt a rush of relief when she saw another door on the wall opposite her. Brett must have taken her through that one.

As she walked through the spacious kitchen, she saw that the counters were still devoid of any evidence that the inhabitants actually ate. At closer examination, she saw that the counter tops were literally gleaming, and that there wasn't a single surface sullied by a stain or a smudge. Everything was pristine, like a showroom or a set for a catalogue.

Keller strode over to the refrigerator and opened it. A rush of cool air enveloped her face for a moment as she inspected the contents, which were lined up neatly. She scoffed as she reached in and took out a can of soda.

As she flipped the top and the liquid fizzed to life, Keller glanced behind her and saw that Nissa was watching her closely.

"So did Winnie and Brett bond during their pizza adventure?" the vampire asked.

Keller didn't try to hide her annoyance. "Ask Winnie," she snapped.

Although she refused to look directly at Nissa, she could see the flash of Nissa's silver eyes. She sensed the stirrings of anger. This reaction troubled her as Nissa rarely displayed anger, and almost never seemed to get angry with Keller, even when Keller lost her temper. Maybe Nissa was tired of Keller's petulance and moodiness. Keller wondered if there might have been some truth to Winnie's words when she said that she was always moody.

It's just that Keller always felt she had reason to be.

Figuring that it would be best not to upset the one person that she could really talk to now, Keller decided to apologize.

"Listen," she began tiredly, running her hand through her hair, "I'm just…stressed. I'm sorry I've been so irritable, and well, mean." She looked at Nissa, hoping that the vampire's eyes had returned to their normal color.

The anger seemed to have evaporated, though she still didn't look happy. She nodded, accepting Keller's apology.

"It's alright Boss," she said quietly. "I just wish that little things like Winnie's romantic interests didn't have to weigh on your mind so much."

A warm rush of shame swept through Keller and she realized what Nissa must think of her. She probably thought Keller was just excessively invested in Winnie's love life, and this stupid, irrelevant thing had put her all out of sorts. Keller imagined that Nissa might be more sympathetic if she knew the real reason behind her sullenness, if she knew that Keller had just found out that she had been lied to for the past three days.

"Nissa I," she began, determined to convince the vampire that she wasn't just creepily obsessed with Winnie's romantic interests. Before she had the chance to explain however, Iliana and Galen came through the door opposite them, and Keller silenced immediately.

The two young lovers smiled at Keller and Nissa, though only Iliana's smile really looked genuine. Iliana led Galen to the island in the middle of the room and the two sat down on the cushioned bar stools. Keller couldn't help but notice that they never stopped holding hands, even when doing so was inconvenient.

Once they were settled she asked, "Feeling better?" in a stiff but not completely unkind voice.

She couldn't look at Galen, so she focused on Iliana. The girl's eyes were puffy and raw, but there was no longer a cloud of despair around her.

"Yes, much better," Iliana said emphatically, sounding almost grateful that Keller had bothered to ask. Even with the slight nasal tone, her voice was still melodious.

Keller wasn't sure how to respond, so she went with a simple, "That's good."

Iliana smiled understandingly, as if to excuse Keller's terse answer. Then she said, "I just wanted to thank you for being so kind tonight." She grimaced in a self-deprecating way. "I know that I was a little hysteric."

A little, Keller retorted, but the thought was strangely devoid of sarcasm. She respected Iliana for being able to recognize her own flaws. It was admirable. Keller even saw a new strength in Iliana's eyes, the kind of strength that can only be achieved after a great trial.

"You're welcome," she replied, her newfound respect audible in her tone. Iliana seemed to notice it, and she began to glow with warmth, and maybe even a little pride.

Suddenly the sliding doors were thrown aside and Winnie waltzed into the kitchen, Brett trailing a few paces behind her.

"Pizza!" Winnie announced gleefully as she glided over to the island and set the boxes down with a flourish.

"I'll go get some plates," Iliana said helpfully as Winnie opened the boxes and glorious smells wafted up into the air.

As they ate, Iliana talked with Brett and Winnie about the upcoming party. Winnie still seemed taken by Brett. Keller caught her staring at him whenever he was talking to Iliana. Brett wasn't as lively as he had been before, though he was still polite and loquacious. Keller had to stop herself a number of times from openly glaring at him. A quick, almost reflexive glance at Galen showed her that he didn't have quite the same reserve.

During a pause in the conversation, at which time Keller had been slowly tearing apart her leftover pieces of crust, Iliana suddenly asked, "Brett, where is Jamie?"

Keller looked up from her activity and saw that Iliana's expression was a mixture of surprise and guilt. She probably felt awful that she hadn't bothered to ask where her best friend was, or even noticed her absence.

Brett held up a finger and finished chewing his pizza. Then he said, "I forgot to tell you, she's away with my parents.

"Oh," Iliana said, lowering her eyes. "Where did they go?"

"The Hampton house," Brett said, rolling his eyes with a grin. "Mom and dad thought that they'd just take the weekend off and relax and help Jamie recuperate."

"But it's her birthday," Iliana said in a small voice, as if these two truths were irreconcilable. "I didn't even get to wish her happy birthday."

"I know," Brett said, grimacing sympathetically. "She was pretty upset too, but they insisted, and you can call her if you want, although the phones are weird there right now so it might not work."

"Your parents left you alone without any way to contact them?" Galen interjected in a cool, quiet voice.

The tension rose in the room, buzzing around like electricity. Keller was a little surprised that it had taken this long for Galen to get confrontational with Brett. Maybe it was because they hadn't really been in the same room together for an extended period, until now.

Brett's face remained blank as he shifted his gaze toward Galen. His eyes, however, were mocking, and a touch spiteful. His tense posture made it seem as though it took a great amount of energy and self-control for him to deal with Galen.

"I said the phones might not work, not that they never work," he repeated. He turned back to Iliana. "I definitely think you should call Jamie; I think that would make her birthday a whole lot better." He put a gentle hand on Iliana's arm, as she still looked forlorn. She leaned into his touch.

Even though he was a foot away from her, Keller could feel Galen bristle.

Well, enough of that.

Finally, Keller thought with a hint of satisfaction, now that her appetite was satiated she could politely excuse herself and run off to the solitude of the guest room. Her willpower had been stretched to impossible lengths today. She was amazed that she had actually kept her composure while sitting in the same room as both Galen and Brett. Her cord of strength was perilously close to snapping.

She slid off her bar stool and landed lithely on the tile floor. She took abnormally long strides, even though her leg protested, to reach the wastebasket and let the shredded pizza crusts tumble into the plastic bag, which was also strangely empty.

"Well," she began, facing the group assembled around the island. "I think I'm going to go to bed early. I'm a little tired."

Faces looked up at her in varying states of interest. Winnie gave her a small "goodnight", and quickly resumed staring at Brett. Nissa examined her in that annoying, knowing way, and nodded. Iliana said her goodnights with a smile that seemed to brighten the very air around her. Her eyes were filled with warm gratitude. Brett seemed confused at first, and he offered to help her up the stairs. When she curtly declined, his expression darkened but was otherwise unreadable. Not that Keller cared anymore to understand him or the insane things were going on in his mind. He was Winnie's problem now.

Galen peeled his eyes off Brett for a moment to look at Keller. There was a flicker of something in his clear, green gaze. It was something like tenderness, or concern, and for a fraction of a second it made Keller want to disregard the lies that he had told about her and cling desperately to the possibility that he still loved her. Galen's looks could cut her to the core.

She resisted temptation. Her weakness revolted her, or at least that's what she kept telling herself as she walked to the door, her movements quick and precise. Anger seemed to have given the injured leg more strength. Then again, maybe she was just too distracted to notice anything about it.

Even as she left the room, a bit of the pressure was lifted off her chest. The further she got from everyone, the better she felt.

She maneuvered her way through the halls, careful to avoid the ones that looked suspiciously unfamiliar. When she reached the stairs, she was so anxious to feel the relief of complete seclusion that she bounded up the curved staircase. Amazingly, her injured leg only slowed her by a fraction of a second, though the quick bursts of pain on every other step were difficult to ignore.

The halls upstairs were just as extensive and complicated as those on the first floor. As she glanced around Keller realized that Brett had never taken her upstairs, and she hadn't even gone up to drop off her bags. Finding her room was going to be like navigating her way through a labyrinth.

In a snap decision, Keller opted for the hallway leading to the left. As she began to wander down the hall, she thought about how getting lost in the house would be the surest way to keep her apart from the others. The thought made her more reckless, and she began to flit through doorways regardless of where she thought they might lead.

Maybe they would never find her. Maybe she could haunt the halls of Brett's mansion until the attack and the solstice ceremony were over and she had no further need to associate with any of these people. She would never have to be humiliated, heartbroken, or disappointed again.

Just as she began to chastise herself for entertaining such naïve and impulsive thoughts, she heard a faint rustling sound coming from behind one of the doors. No normal human could have detected it, but Keller's ears perked up immediately, trying to determine from which door the sound came. She wondered for a moment if Brett had a pet, but dismissed the thought quickly. She had no doubt that if Brett and Jamie did have some sort of animal friend, Iliana would have made mention of it.

Rats or mice were Keller's next guess. However, she had a difficult time imagining Brett's family allowing rodents to infest their immaculate house.

Filled with a strange but compelling curiosity, Keller walked down the line of doors. She pressed her ear against one, and then another, feeling her heartbeat speed up as the rustling became louder. Finally, she stood facing the one that she was certain had to be shielding the source of the rustling. She could hear the clear sounds of something moving, almost lethargically, like a scraping against the floor.

She slowly approached the door, extending her arm toward the brass knob. There was something ominous about the sound; it set her teeth on edge.

"What are you doing?"

Keller whipped around, her thick hair smacking her in the face.

Brett stood a few feet from her, smirking. Amusement danced in his eyes as he took in her expression, which was one of shock and anger.

Idiot, she thought savagely, trying to conceal her ragged breathing. You can never let yourself get that distracted. What if it had been an attacker?

She straightened up, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I heard a noise," she said curtly, letting her irritation seep into her voice. Not only was the lying asshole speaking to her, he had caught her off guard. This was not a recipe for a pleasant, polite encounter.

"So you'd just go searching through someone else's house?" Brett asked patronizingly, raising his eyebrows.

Keller gave him a vicious look. She noticed with some surprise that his body was tense, which seemed incongruous with his smug, careless expression.

"I was just looking for my room," she said, hoping that he would direct her, and then they could be done with each other. Wasn't wandering through the halls supposed to prevent this type of interaction?

Brett didn't take the hint. "I wanted to talk to you," he said, sobering. The flickering amusement in his eyes quickly died down.

"I really just wanted to go to my room," Keller said obstinately.

"Just give me a few minutes," Brett said flatly, though Keller thought she could detect a note of pleading hidden behind his dispassionate tone.

She groaned inwardly. Brett was never reasonable, and he was unfailingly stubborn. She knew that he was going to cajole her until she consented.

Though it pained her, she decided to spare them both the trouble.

"Fine," she agreed shortly. "What did you want to say?"

She crossed her arms and waited for Brett to speak, but he shook his head.

"Can we go downstairs?" he asked. "There was also something I wanted to show you."

This time Keller actually did groan. "Brett, just say what you have to and then let me go to bed," she insisted.

Brett remained perfectly still, but his eyes flared. He had the wild and calculating look of a trapped animal.

"Please, it will only be a few minutes," he said. There was urgency in his tone.

After a minute of trying to decipher his peculiar expression, she sighed and muttered, "Alright." She walked toward him and stood tall, facing him squarely. "Let's just get it over with."

Brett gave her a small, unhappy smile and reached out a hand to lead her away from the doors. Keller was in no way subtle in her avoidance of it. She had the feeling that if Brett laid a hand on her she might turn around and punch him.

They walked silently through the halls and down the stairs, Keller always a little behind Brett.

Once they reached the first floor, Keller began to wonder where it was that he was taking her.

He finally stopped in front of two artfully crafted glass doors. Through the panes, Keller could see no discernible shapes. All that the doors revealed was an expansive darkness.

"Close your eyes," Brett said mysteriously. He sounded as though he was trying to say it playfully, but his tone fell flat.

Keller faced him, gave him a withering look, and closed her eyes. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to be pulled along by Brett. He smartly took hold of her sleeve rather than her entire arm, which made it easier for Keller to resist the urge to deck him.

Their steps echoed in the dark room, reverberating off the walls. The place was cavernous, and the darkness seemed to grow thicker as they went further in.

Suddenly Keller realized that Brett was no longer beside her. She felt a surge of irrational fear.

Then, just as she decided that it was no longer necessary to humor Brett and opened her eyes, a bright light filled the room, and in an instant, her fear turned to awe.

For a moment Keller allowed wonder to smooth out her hard features as she gazed at what was undoubtedly the ball room that Brett had mentioned that day with Iliana. The wood floors gleamed as if they were covered in a thin sheet of ice. Graceful arch windows lined the wall, looking like they had been plucked out of a fairy tale. Three impressive chandeliers hung in a row on the ceiling, casting light onto every surface. The place was resplendent, dazzling.

And she was standing in the middle of the beautiful room, and Brett was walking over to her. He seemed to be anticipating some kind of grateful, delighted response. His eyes were trained on her expectantly as he approached her.

Looking at him though, Keller remembered why her face had felt stiff and strange when it finally relaxed. She wondered if he had already gotten tired of Winnie or if she was just indisposed.

Wiping all emotion from her face she said, "It's gorgeous, now what did you want to talk about?"

All of the animation drained from Brett's expression. He glared down at her.

"Why are you acting like this," he demanded. "I mean," he began, smirking a little, "I know that I do things that upset you, but this time I'm not even sure what I've done."

At first, Keller considered lying through her teeth. She could tell him that she was simply in a bad mood, and that it was completely unrelated to anything that he had done. This of course, would never work, as Brett would try to discover the cause of her unhappiness, and she hadn't the energy to fight him. She also suspected that he wouldn't believe her if she told him that.

She would have to tell him the truth. There was no other way for her to resolve the situation. He would be so shocked and humiliated at being called out on his lies that he would avoid her for the duration of their stay. Keller couldn't ask for a more perfect resolution.

Laying it on the table would just make everything easier.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to summon her calmest voice and said, "I know what you did."

She had never seen such a shocking reaction in her life.

Brett's jaw slackened almost imperceptibly, but otherwise he went completely rigid, immobile. In an instant he became a well-groomed, chestnut haired statue.

Inside his eyes however, storm clouds converged, and something surged in the shining orbs.

In a quiet, razor sharp voice he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Well there's no need to get this upset about it, Keller thought, bewildered by this peculiar response.

"I know that you've been lying," she told him plainly.

If she had been hoping that candidness would elicit the reaction she expected, she was very disappointed. Brett's face became reanimated, but not with the shame that she had been hoping for. His eyes, unable to contain the storm, released the wild, churning seas. Soon they had overtaken his face, the tumultuous waters seeming to course through his veins, loosening his body into an almost fighting stance.

With a shock, Keller realized that she felt the tingling of fear. She had never seen Brett look more dangerous. She had never even imagined that he could look this dangerous.

"What do you mean," he demanded. Keller could have sworn she felt his breath chill her face.

With careful, subtle movements, she scanned the room. The only real exit was the door, but she had smashed through glass before and come out alright. The only problem was distracting Brett so that she could break away.

Idiot, she thought, suddenly mortified by what she was doing. You're over reacting. This is Brett, he wouldn't hurt anyone. You don't need to plan an exit strategy.

But at that moment, with Brett looking at her like that, she had difficulty believing that he would never hurt her.

Trying to expel some of her fear, Keller let out a long breath. She brought her eyes, which had been examining the nearest window, back to Brett.

"I understand that the past few days, our conversations and…all of that, it was just lies," she explained, a touch of sadness seeping into her otherwise empty tone.

She watched, mesmerized as the deep blue seas continue to roil. However, after a few moments of standing there silently, the storm calmed, and Keller felt foolish for having been so worked up about it before. The idea that she had been in any real danger was ridiculous.

While the anger had passed, Brett didn't seem any happier than he had been a minute before. His brow furrowed, and his mouth set in a hard line. A new emotion seemed to well up, though Keller wasn't entirely sure what it was.

"What do you mean?" he repeated, in a clipped, ringing tone.

"I mean," Keller began impatiently, "that the person you were with me, that's not who you really are. You're the guy I met with Iliana, and the guy who was joking around with Winnie." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. It was a really inconvenient time to have such an obstruction. When she found that it was impossible, she added, "I'm assuming that, since Iliana wasn't available, and I seemed…different, you just figured you'd –"

"Completely alter my personality so that I could mess around with you," Brett finished. He was gazing down on her with disdain.

"Stranger things have been done," Keller replied sardonically.

Brett's eyes blazed. "Is this really what you think of me?" he demanded, and suddenly Keller was able to identify the emotion. It was hurt. Brett sounded deeply wounded by her accusation.

A fair deal less sanctimonious than before, Keller said, "I guess it just seemed like a good possibility."

Brett shook his head, dark incredulity coloring his face. "You are truly _insane_." He looked at her unhappily. "What paranoia brought you to that conclusion? Unless you've had experience with that sort of deception, in which case the people that you associate with are despicable."

Keller said nothing. She was beginning to feel foolish, childish.

Brett's eyes softened then, and he said, "When I told you I liked Winnie, I just meant that I liked her; there was nothing profound or meaningful about it."

At first, Keller tried to fight the warm feeling inside her. She was telling herself that it was completely out of place, given her predicament. Also, some crazed part of her wanted to analyze his tone and expression and make absolutely sure that he was being honest. The rational part however, was calmly telling her that he had sounded completely sincere, and this reassurance was making it difficult to suppress the happy feeling.

"I just don't get how you came to the conclusion that I fabricated my entire personality," he went on, clearly still aggrieved.

"Fine, it was stupid," Keller admitted in a surprisingly gentle apology. "But you were just so different with Iliana and Winnie and you seemed…happier with them and, in my defense, you really seemed to like Winnie so I thought that maybe I was –"

"Yes, I get where you're going with this," Brett interrupted impatiently. "And yes, I do act differently around Iliana and Winnie but only because that's what they expect of me, they would be extremely uncomfortable if I were to act the way I do around you." A light seemed to fill his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and then looked at her almost shyly. "The thing is, I feel, strangely close to you." His voice went up as he finished, almost as though he were asking her permission to feel this.

Nothing exploded inside Keller. There were no fireworks or bursts of joy. It wasn't a brief moment of elation. What she felt was much more subdued, and far more lasting. The happiness she felt was something solid, like a glowing gem, steadily radiating warmth. It was something that she could rely on.

She couldnt think of what to say. There was no response that she could formulate that would adequetly convey what she wanted to tell him. She didnt have the ability to articulate what it felt like to find out not only that she had been completely wrong about his manipulating her, but also to have him validate her feelings, the ones of connectedness. For someone who had lived for so many years without close attachments, the discovery of Brett was nothing short of miraculous.

So, instead of fumbling with words, she just smiled at him. A small, heartfelt smile.

And Brett smiled back, no longer shy. "Though that's not really comforting considering you're the most insane person I've ever met," he added, raising his eyebrows wickedly.

Keller gave him an evil look, but the happy feeling prevented her from thinking up a decent comeback.

Brett's eyes became serious again as he looked down at her and asked, "Do you by any chance feel like that too?"

"Ya, im not really delighted about feeling this close to someone as unstable as you either," she said, grinning.

Brett just laughed, not even bothering to pretend to be wounded. It was one of the most beautiful sounds that Keller had ever heard.

After Brett's laughter had subsided, he thrust out his hand.

"So, from now on, can we agree to stay as friendly with each other as possible, and not to start hating one another because of some foolish supposition again?"

Brett's expression revealed that this was a very real request, and Keller was glad that he took their relationship seriously. She stuck her hand out and met his. Brett's hand twisted and tightened around hers, their agreement finalized with a firm shake.

Unfortunately it wasn't quite that simple. Even in the first seconds, as Brett's hands brushed against Keller's, she started experiencing the sensation of falling, the same feeling that she was plagued by the day that she jumped out of Brett's car. Like the first time, it seemed unsavory at first, like a loss of control, and it was accompanied by a weighty feeling of darkness. However, rather than make her survival instincts flare up and cause her fighting spirit to alight, it drew forth a very different response. A feeling of immense joy at the idea of being one with the darkness, and the exhilarating feeling of falling into some strange void. She couldn't understand the feeling that day with Brett, it had overwhelmed her. Now she felt as though she was being welcomed into it, and could somehow understand it.

When Brett removed his hand, the feeling lingered for an instant, and then disappeared, leaving Keller with an empty, hungry feeling. Her eyes flew up to study his face, to see if he had been affected by it too, but Brett looked as impassive as ever. Obviously it had only been a handshake to him, and not the discovery of some entirely new sensation. For moment, Keller was angry at him for being ignorant of the peculiar new sense.

Brett raised his eyebrows, looking at her quizzically. "Alright?"

Keller nodded slowly, and smiled again, which she was beginning to realize actually felt very good. She made a mental note to try to exercise the muscles in her face more often.

Not like that's actually going to happen, a snide voice in her head interjected. Not with everything that's coming your way.

No, Keller admitted. It was pretty unlikely that she would feel this good for a while, if ever again. But she still had the glowing gem inside her, and even if it wouldn't always be able to fight off evil, unpleasant feelings, its very existence made things that much easier.

As a wave of fatigued hit her, Keller issued a long yawn, which made Brett grin.

"I guess maybe I can show you your room now," he offered, and, without asking if she wanted to go, took her arm and lead her out of the ballroom. Keller, who didn't even bother to yell at Brett for his pushiness, gave it one last glance as Brett extinguished the lights and closed the glass doors. After the room was sealed, Keller had difficulty actually believing that she had even been in a place so beautiful and fairytale-like.

They walked side by side, up the stairs and through the maze like halls. Finally Brett stopped in front of a door in a particularly brightly lit hallway, one that had small tables lining the walls on which sat bouquets of meticulously arranged flowers.

Behind the door was nothing short of a hotel room, one the must have been plucked from some five star establishment. Apparently Brett's family went to great pains to ensure that their guests were not only comfortable but luxuriated.

Keller walked over to the enormous, plush bed and in a fit of childishness, jumped lengthwise onto it and sank down into a sea of cream colored comforter.

When she rose from her cloud-like nest of bedding, Brett was still standing in the doorway.

"Comfortable?"

She nodded lethargically, already feeling sleep creeping towards her.

Brett grinned. "Goodnight then," he said, backing away slowly and closing the door behind him.

Keller nuzzled into the pillow, burying her face for a minute. She had never felt quite like this before. It was such an irrational feeling, this happiness in the face of such horror, but she didn't have the desire or even the willpower to be completely rational. And maybe that was alright, to not have to look at everything through a logical lens. Maybe one awful thing, even if it was truly frightening, didn't need to leave its taint on everything else.

Keller replayed her conversation with Brett over and over again until she fell asleep.

A small sound brought Keller out of a deep, dreamless sleep. It was an automatic reflex, and for a moment she just lay awake, wondering what was making the scratching noise. It seemed so insignificant, just a minor nuisance. She was reluctant to even shift around to try to get a better view of the floor. After a few minutes of continuous, faint scratching sounds she finally sat up and looked around.

A small creature sat in the middle of the floor, facing her. It was frozen, probably startled. Upon closer inspection Keller could clearly make out the features of a small mouse. Its eyes were too small to see in the dark, but she could tell that it was watching her too, probably waiting until she turned away so that it could make its escape.

So maybe there was an infestation, Keller thought with hazy surprise. She wondered for a moment if it might be considerate of her to catch it and put it outside. But she was feeling forgiving tonight, and the little mouse was so harmless. It would probably retreat into the walls and never show its face again in the sterile home.

She lay back down, squirming around until she found the optimum spot. Sleep was already approaching. Her mind was filled with those strange, half formed scenes that always signaled that consciousness was slipping away. Her head lolled to the side as she began her final descent, and for the brief moment before she was totally gone, her eyes rested on the little mouse, still sitting in the middle of the floor. Watching her.


End file.
